Doc Thelma's Kitchen

Loaded baked potato soup

2012-02-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to make at least one crock pot of soup a week this winter. This one was for my potato-philic daughter.

6 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 quart chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
3 minced garlic cloves
1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons pepper
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Combine all ingredients except milk, cheese and bacon. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4. Mash potatoes to desired texture, stir in milk and cheese. Serve with topped with bacon, sour cream or more cheese, if desired. Or all three.

Hash Brown Soup

2011-11-30T14:49:00.001-08:00

My daughter is a potato snob. She loves potatoes, but typically insists they be prepared from scratch and turns up her nose at instant or frozen products (though she makes an exception for KFC mashed potatoes and gravy, for some reason.)

For that reason, she was skeptical about this soup, but wound up really liking it, especially when I explained that, given the reduced prep and cooking time, it was likely to appear far more often potato soup from scratch.

1 chopped onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cans chicken broth

1 large bag Southern style hash browns, frozen

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1.5 cups skim milk

1 pound shredded cheddar

Saute onion in oil. Add to broth in saucepan, bring to boil. Add hash browns and boil again. Add soups and milk, boil again. Stir in cheese until melted.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

2011-11-20T12:44:00.000-08:00

My kids are crazy about chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, so when I heard of these cupcakes I had to try them. There are several versions around; I like this one because it uses a mix.

A few tips: It is essential that the dough centers be frozen thoroughly. I typically do mine overnight. Do not over bake these: 16 minutes is about right for me. If you over bake or do not freeze dough, you wind up with a dry crumply cookie in the middle instead of the soft dough. Toothpick test is not reliable for doneness if you stick it in the middle, because you'll be testing the dough; use the side.

I got the icing recipe from a different site. You can use any frosting you want, but this version has that "cookie dough" taste that makes it especially good. The original recipe made way more icing than I needed, (I don't put big swirls of icing on cupcakes) so the second time I halved it; which was barely enough. The version below is 2/3's of the original, which is about right.

Centers:

1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar, then beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and stir in until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Using about 1 tablespoon each, roll 24 balls of dough. Place on cookie sheet and freeze at least 2 hours or overnight.

Cake:

1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1 1/3 cup water
1/3 cup oil

Beat eggs slightly, then add rest of ingredients. Mix with mixer on medium speed 2 minutes. Fill 24 paper-lined muffin tins 1/2 to 2/3's full with batter, then place one cookie dough ball on top. Cupcake will rise and cover ball as it bakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 16-20 minute. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely.

Cookie dough buttercream frosting:

2 sticks butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
2 1/3 teaspoons vanilla

Cream brown sugar and butter. Mix in powdered sugar until smooth. Mix in rest of ingredients to make a smooth frosting. Spread over cooled cupcakes. Top with mini-chocolate chips or a Famous Amos mini chocolate chip cookie, if desired.

These are best stored in refrigerator.

Turkey Curry Soup

2011-11-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

I dug the turkey carcass stock out of the freezer and prepared this tonight. Everyone enjoyed.

6 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, minced (about 2 cups)
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Indian spices to taste (I used 4 teaspoons garam masala and 2 teaspoons curry powder)
4 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper to taste
6 cups turkey broth
3 cups chopped turkey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cups milk
4-6 cups rice, cooked

Melt butter in soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery, saute 10 minutes until tender. Add garlic and spices, cook 2 minutes. Add flour, cook 2 more minutes. Add salt, pepper, broth and turkey, heat until simmering; simmer 10-15 minutes. Add lemon juice and milk and cook 5 minutes longer. Serve over rice or mix rice into soup.

Gazpacho

2011-06-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with this soup when I went to Spain a few years ago. There are a million versions of it, but here is my favorite. I love to hit a farmers market on a Saturday morning, then make a batch to have for lunch for the rest of the week.

3 lbs fresh summer tomatoes (9-10 medium)
1 large cucumber
1 bell or red pepper
1 medium sweet onion
5-6 garlic cloves (or less, to taste)
3 tablespoons red vinegar
3 tablespoons lime juice (about 2, fresh squeezed)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste (I use 2-3 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper)
6 tablespoons fresh spice (dill, basil, coriander... use your favorite)
dry bread crumbs

Peel and seed cucumber. Seed pepper. Peel garlic cloves. Chop them and onion in food processor. Coarsely chop herb. Blanch tomatoes for 30 seconds in boiling water, remove skins. Some people seed tomatoes at this point, but I don't). Puree tomatoes in blender, add rest of vegetables, vinegar, lime juice, salt, pepper and herb. I like my gazpacho smooth, so I blend it all up throughly, but if you like it chunkier, process it less or don't blend all the chopped vegetables. Chill several hours or overnight. Serve in bowls with 2 tablespoons bread crumbs sprinkled on top.

Butterscotch pie

2011-02-23T20:06:00.000-08:00

Pie crust, partially baked

Filling:

1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup milk
6 1/2 tablespoons butter, sliced
3 egg yolks

Meringue:

1 tablespoon corn starch
1/2 cup water
3 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar

Prick pie crust with fork and pre-bake according to directions. In top of double boiler, mix brown sugar, flour, salt and milk. Add butter and heat over boiling water, stirring occasionally until butter melts. Beat eggs yolks and whisk in. Cook, stirring frequently, until thick. Pour into pie shell.

Mix corn starch and water, boil and stir until transparent. Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually beat in sugar, than corn starch mixture. Spread over pie filling, sealing to edges. Bake at 325 for 20-30 minutes, until meringue is browned. Chill before serving.

Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Coulis

2010-12-04T05:50:00.000-08:00

I served this for a dinner party recently, in my grandmother's silver sherberts.

Mousse:

2 cups heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 oz. dark chocolate (60-70% cacao)

Melt chocolate in double boiler. Whisk sugar and egg yolks. Heat 3/4 cup cream until hot but not boiling. poour slowly into egg yolks, whisking throughout. Transfer to stove and heat over medium -low heat, stirring constantly, until custard coats spoon. Whisk into melted chocolate and cool. Whip cream, then fold a fourth of it into chocolate mixture. Then, fold chocolate mixture into remaining cream. Spoon into serving dish and chill.

Raspberry coulis

1/2 pound raspberries
1/4 pound sugar

Combine in saucepan over medium heat; cook until sugar is dissolved. Chill sauce.

Whipped cream

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip, gradually added sugar, chill 1-3 hours.

Top each mousse cup with a spoonful of coulis, then a dollop of whipped cream. Makes 12 small or 6 larger servings.

Bacon and Herb Beef Tenderloin

2010-12-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

I recently served this at a Christmas party and everyone loved it. I made a 7 pound roast, so needed more ingredients.

1 4 lb beef tenderloin
2 garlic cloves
4-6 springs oregano
6-8 basil leaves
Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt
Pepper
6-8 slices bacon, cut in half

Rub roast with Worcestershire sauce. Cut garlic cloves into several slivers, cut slits in roast with knife and insert. sprinkle with pepper and salt. Turn roast over and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay oregano and basil on top, drape bacon slices over roast. Tie with cord and place in rack in roasting pan. Cook at 450 degrees for 10 minutes (beware, it gets smoky here) when reduce heat and continue to cook until temperature in thickest part registers 125 (for rare) or 145 (for medium). Remove, tent with foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing

Cranberry Punch

2010-12-03T21:25:00.000-08:00

For me, there's nothing Christmasy-er than cranberries. I served this at the deacon's Christmas party for my church.

64 oz cranberry juice cocktail
2 cups orange juice
2 cups Sprite
Ice ring made with cranberry and orange juices, garnished with orange and lime slices

Combine juices in punchbowl, add ice ring. Slowly pour in Sprite.

Wassail

2010-12-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

1 gallon apple cider
1 quart pineapple juice
6 oz frozen orange juice concemtrate
25-30 whole cloves
8 cinnamon sticks

Combine in pot or crock pot, simmer until hot.

Chocolate and Pumpkin Cheesecake

2010-11-16T17:24:00.000-08:00

Back in my grad school days, pre-internet, I copied a wonderful recipe for a layered pumpkin and chocolate cheesecake with chocolate ganache. I'm not sure if this is the same recipe but it's close. It makes a wonderful holiday dessert.

Crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crusts
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix crumbs, sugar and cocoa. Pour butter over all, stir to coat. Press onto bottom and sides of 9 inch springform pan. Bake for 5 minutes at 350 degrees.

Chocolate layer:

2/3 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup coffee
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt chocolate in double boiler. Mix in coffee, set aside. Beat cream cheese, sugar and salt together. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then mix in vanilla. Add chocolate mixture and blend. Pour over chocolate crumb crust.

Pumpkin layer:

16 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat pumpkin, cream cheese, flour, and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time. Mix in spices and vanilla. Pour into 9 inch cake pan lined with buttered parchment paper.

Bake both cheesecakes at 350 degrees for 1 hour 10 minutes. Turn off oven and let sit for 20 minutes. Refrigerate chocolate layer, cool pumpkin layer to room temperature.

Ganache:

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
12 oz chocolate chips

Boil cream, butter and sugar, add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour one cup of ganache onto chocolate layer. Unmold pumpkin layer and place on top of chocolate layer. Freeze for 1 hour. Frost top and sides of cheesecake with remaining ganache. Keep refrigerated until time to serve.

Frozen Dinner Rolls

2010-11-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

I made these for my first Thanksgiving dinner as a new bride, and many times since. Very convenient since you can make several weeks in advance, then freeze until the day you bake.

5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 packages yeast
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs

In large bowl, mix 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Heat water, milk and butter to warm (120-130 degrees (butter will likely not melt), add to flour and beat 2 minutes with electric mixer. Add eggs and 1/2 cup more flour, beat another 2 minutes. Add 3-4 cups more flour gradually, to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic.

Cover and let rest 20 minutes, then punch down. Shape into rolls... I like to do crescents. Freeze on cookie sheets, then store in plastic or tupperware.

When ready to bake, remove, place on baking sheet and let rise until doubled, about 90 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Squash and pear soup

2010-11-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

A recipe from an August 96 Mom friend. Delicious and great-smelling; I may serve it for Thanksgiving. I think it would be good with nutmeg instead of thyme

1 lg. butternut squash, peeled and cubed.
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 pears, peeled and cubed
32 oz. chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and squash, cook covered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pears and chicken stock, heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes. Add thyme. Puree in blender, two cups at a time, then return to stove. Serve hot.

Hunger Games Cake

2010-08-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

My daughter and I are both fans of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series, and are eagerly awaiting the finale, Mockingjay, on August 24th. Her 14th birthday falls the day before and she requested a Hunger Games themed cake for her party today.

Unlike Peeta, I am a decidedly amateur cake decorator, so I knew I wasn't up to assembling a Mockingjay. I settled for one of Katniss's arrows. I had also, with the help of a friend whose sister works at Borders, snagged a real Mockingjay pin as a surprise gift, so I decided to clip it to some wax paper and adapt as a cake topper; that's it on the arrowhead, though it's hard to see in the picture.

To make the arrow: bake a 9 by 13 inch cake. Freeze, then cut lengthways into 3 horizontal strips. The two from the edges will be placed end to end for the arrow shaft. From the middle strip, cut one right triangle from one side, and another from the opposite end, leaving a parallelogram-shaped wedge in the center. Slice this longways down the middle, so you get two smaller, thinner parallelograms. Turn one triangle and one parallelogram upside down. You can now place the two triangles back to back to make the arrowhead, and the parallelograms on the other for the tail feathers. Frost with your favorite icing, pipe birthday greetings or a favorite line onto the shaft and score the frosting on the feather with fork tines. Add Mockingjay pin, if available.

Note: this is a long cake, almost three feet. I used a foam board covered in plastic wrap for a tray.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

Chilled cucumber soup

2010-07-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

I don't really like cucumbers. But, all my friends with gardens have raised bumper crops this year and given me lots. Since I had a cucumber gazpacho in Spain a view years ago that was pretty good, I decided to try a chilled soup. It is good, and unlike most where you just grind up the cukes, cooking them cuts the cucumber-y taste. It's almost like a potato soup.

1 large onion, chopped
5 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
several sprigs flat leaf parsley
several sprigs fresh dill
5 cups chicken broth, hot (I used turkey broth from a recent breast I roasted... it worked great!)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Melt butter in skillet, saute onions and cucumbers with pepper until tender and onions are translucent. Sprinkle with flour and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to soup pan and add broth, salt and spices. Heat until boiling, then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Cool in pan, then puree in blender with sour cream, lemon juice and milk. Chill several hours.

Green Tomato Pasta with Bacon

2010-07-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

I made this for dinner tonight; a nice change from regular spaghetti. You have to love the split-personality nature of a recipe that has you frying things in a combination of olive oil and bacon grease.

6 slices thick cut bacon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves pressed garlic
3-4 medium green tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 yellow sweet pepper, chopped
2/3 cup grated cheese (Romano, parmesan or mozzarella)
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 pound spaghetti

Fry bacon in skillet. Remove and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon bacon grease, mix in olive olive. Saute garlic for 1 minute, then add tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook for 7-10 minutes. Add wine and chopped peppers. Cook for about 10 minutes, until sauce thickens. Add parsley and crumbled bacon; stir in just before removing from heat.

While sauce thickens, cook pasta to al dente stage. Drain, reserving some of the hot pasta water. Add cheese and sauce to pasta along with 1/2-1 cup of the water. Stir thoroughly and serve. Serves 3-4.

Murderous Strawberry Shortcake

2010-04-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

With my fondness for both books and dessert recipes, it was only a matter of time before I got hooked on this series. It's about a young woman from fictional Lake Eden, MN* who owns a bakery and spends her spare time solving murders, the victims of which always manage to expire while consuming one of her confections.

In any case, strawberries have been cheap and plentiful here lately, so when I had to fix a church supper recently, I quadrupled the title recipe from the second book of the series "The Strawberry Shortcake Murder" and fed about 80 with it. It was wonderful.

Cake:

3 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups cake flour

Topping:

3 pints sliced strawberries (or other fruit)
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup white sugar
½ cup sour cream

Butter and flour 2 9 inch pans. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and beat until fluffy. Mix in sour cream, baking powder and vanilla. Add flour, one cup at a time. Spoon into pans and bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes

Cool, wrap in plastic and foil and store in refrigerator for 48 hours. Remove an hour before serving. Beat cream with sugar, then fold in sour cream Serve with sliced berries, a dollop of cream mixture and garnish with whole berries. Hannah says this makes 12 pieces; for me it's rich enough to serve more like 20.

*where, judging from the amount of time the characters spend eating scrumptious-sounding desserts, the average weight must be around 500 lbs.

Cranberry Nut Bread

2009-12-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

A frequent Christmas present.

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 cup chopped cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Mix dry ingredients. combine egg, orange juice and orange peel, add to flour mixture and stir just to moisten. Fold in cranberries and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees 30-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out dry. Makes one large or 2 small loaves.

Vidalia Onion Casserole

2009-12-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

This recipe I got from my Sister-in-law. She served it for Thanksgiving dinner and my daughter (the pickiest eater in our household) loved it. I'm not sure why, since she's not particularly fond of onions, cornbread, sour cream or creamed corn, but she asked I make it again at our first Christmas potluck.

1/2 cup butter
2 large Vidalia or other sweet onions
8 oz sour cream
2 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup grated cheddar or jack cheese, divided
15 oz can creamed corn
4 dashes hot sauce
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix

Saute onions in butter until soft, not brown. Add sour cream, dill, salt and 1/2 cup cheese to skillet, stir and set aside. Combine cream corn, hot sauce, egg, milk and cornbread mix in separate bowl, stir to combine. Add onion mixture to cornbread mixture, combine and pour into greased 9 X 13 casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake 40 minutes at 425 degrees.

Sugar Cookies

2009-10-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

Easy and fun!

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream butter. Beat in sugars and eggs, then stir in milk and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients, then blend in to make a soft dough. Chill. Roll to 1/8 inch on floured surface, cut with assorted colors. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired and bake at 325 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Applesauce Spice cookies

2009-10-04T12:17:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a cinnamon apple cookie recipe I could use with my new apple-shaped cookie cutter, for my school's upcoming Apple Day carnival. This one fit the bill. I used red and green sprinkles to decorate.

1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup applesauce
1 egg
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves

Cream sugar, butter, applesauce and egg. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices, mix until soft dough forms. Chill at least 1 hour. Roll out on floured cloth to 1/8 inch thickness; cut into desired shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheets at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes.

Cranberry Champagne Punch

2009-05-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

This was enjoyed at a recent departmental party

1-2 sliced oranges
1-2 sliced lemons
1-2 cups brandy
1/2 cup corn syrup
2 cans frozen cranberry juice concentrate
2 bottles chilled dry champagne

Several days before your event, slice lemons and oranges, put in jar with corn syrup and brandy. Soak for several days in refrigerator, shaking occasionally. Strain and pour into punch bowl along with thawed cranberry juice. Slowly pour in champagne and stir. I used an ice ring made with cran-raspberry juice, with raspberries and orange slices to garnish.

Ugly Salad

2009-04-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is one of my mom's favorites. A good salad to serve for a crowd and the leftovers get better tasting over the next couple of days.

1 head lettuce (or two bags)
1 small onion or 5 green onions
1 can tiny green peas
8 slices deli-style Swiss cheese
mayonnaise
sugar
salt
pepper

Tear lettuce into bits, place one layer in bottom of serving bowl. Slice onion thin and separate into rings, place 1/3 on top of lettuce layer. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons peas over onion. Slice cheese into thin strips and put on top of peas. Put 4-5 spoonful-sized dollops of mayo on top of cheese layer, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon sugar and a dash of salt and pepper on each dollop. Do not stir. Repeat lettuce, onion, pea, cheese and mayo layers twice more. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Toss just before serving.

World's Easiest fudge recipe

2009-02-23T06:43:00.000-08:00

My Girl Scouts did this recipe at our last meeting: It's a breeze.

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
dash salt

Line 8" by 8" pan with foil. Melt all ingredients together over low heat. Spread in pan. Chill 2 hours until firm.

More crafts from David and Saul

2009-02-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

One thing about going through the whole book of 2 Samuel with school aged children, there are a lot of violent stories. The week when Saul killed himself was especially challenging. But, weapons-based craft projects are pretty appealing. Here I cut out a sword pattern on posterboard and let them cover the blade with aluminum foil. I think adding the plastic jewels on the handles helped it be more appealing to the girls, but even the boys enjoyed decorating them. The memory verse from Proverbs: "Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" helped tone down the violent tendencies.

For the story of David bringing the ark back to Jerusalem (and Uzzah's unfortunate demise we made Ark of the Covenants, adapted from this version on Danielle's place. I changed it by pre-hotgluing small gold jump rings to one popsicle stick, then having the kids thread a gold-pained coffee stirrer-sized stick through that for the carrying pole. Thankfully, they sell gold tempera paint at Michael's, so you don't have to deal with spray paint, or use yellow and brush with gold glitter.

Nathan's Lamb Parable Craft

2009-02-14T09:58:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow in Sunday School we are making our own version of this lamb craft, because, well, let's face it, there isn't much else from the story of David and Bathsheba schoolchildren can safely immortalize in cardboard, Magic marker and white glue. Only, instead of the scissors, the lamb is holding a scroll with the week's memory verse: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Psalm 51: 10-11.

King David's Crown Cookies

2009-02-01T11:17:00.000-08:00

Another food related craft from the life of David. I cut out the cookies the night before; the kids filled, baked and decorated the plate during class.

You need one batch sugar cookie dough, prepared (I used the Betty Crocker mix, immortalized in the "he's gonna leave!" commercial) and one bag Jolly Rancher candies, separated by flavor.

Beforehand, make and chill cookie dough. Grind Jolly Ranchers in food processor and store separated colors in plastic bags.

Roll out the dough and cut into crown shapes. I did a rectangle about the size of a small card envelope, then cut it in half with a zigzag pattern to make two crowns. Place on foil-lined cookie sheets. Using small shaped cookie cutters or the top to a soda bottle, cut small shapes out for jewels. Using a small spoon, have the kids fill in the holes with powdered candy. For best results, get as little as possible on the cookie dough and pile up a small heap in the center. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool at least 10 minutes; you can speed this process by taking the foil off the cookie sheet. Make sure candy jewels are hardened, then carefully remove the cookie.

Note: these cookies can look better than they taste; the melted candy can take on a burned, bitter flavor, so be forewarned. Making them is still fun for the kids.

David takes Saul's jug and spear craft

2009-01-18T18:01:00.000-08:00

We're working our way through the book of Samuel in our elementary age Sunday School class. Today's craft, to go with the story about David sparing Saul's life, went well, so I wanted to share it. See earlier posts for Samuel's calling and Abigail.

"Stained glass" jug with spear

Here's what you need.

Wax paper
Crayons
Cheese grater or manual pencil sharpener
Small ziploc bags
Black sharpie marker
Coloring sheet with jug picture (I found a good one here, but I omitted the handle to make cutting easier)
Coloring page with spear picture (I made one using this image.)
Scissors
Glue
Iron
Ironing board
Newspaper

Do ahead:
Grate or sharpen crayons, saving shavings in individual bags, sorted by color. 3-5 bright colors should be plenty. With black marker, trace the jug on the right half of a piece of wax paper, making one for each child.
In class:
Cover tables with newspaper to prevent scatter. Give each child a piece of wax paper and have them sprinkle crayon shavings onto the jug drawing. Use sparingly, a little goes a long way. Fold wax paper in half, sandwiching shavings between the layers.
Heat iron to medium. Have kids bring their jug one at a time to the ironing board (also covered in newspaper) and place on surface. cover with another piece of newspaper and have an adult iron briefly. Crayons will melt and colors will spread, making a glazed-looking effect on the paper jug. Remove wax paper and let cool, then have the kids cut out their jug. They can then color and cut out their spear and glue it on.
This is adaptable for any story involving a pot or jar, such as Rebekah watering Isaac's camels or the woman at the well.

Sausage and white bean soup

2009-01-15T16:15:00.000-08:00

A hearty bean soup for winter. I recently made this with the vegetable stock and the sausage cooked separately when taking a meal to a family of mixed vegetarian/omnivores.

1.5 pounds dried navy beans
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 pounds smoked sausage
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1.5 tablespoons minced garlic
12 cups vegetable or chicken stock
5 cups water
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Soak beans overnight. Cook and slice sausage, set aside. In bottom of soup pot, heat oil, then saute onion, celery and garlic. Add beans, stock, water, salt and spices. Bring to boil, cover partially, reduce heat and simmer 3 hours. Mash about half the beans with potato masher. Add sausage and heat through. Top with shredded cheese, if desired and serve with bread.

Abigail and David craft

2009-01-11T12:09:00.000-08:00

Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs and loaded them on donkeys. I Samuel 25:18. I've discovered during all my years of teaching Sunday School that kids like almost any activity involving food. Today they had the chance to pack up their own donkey, Abigail style. You need, for each child:

1 coloring book picture of a donkey (I found a great Abigail one here.)
1 piece of cardboard or posterboard, cut slightly larger than picture
glue
sandwich-size baggie with twist tie
hole punch or scissors
beef jerky (represents the sheep meat)
puffed wheat cereal (I used plain, kids would probably like Honey Smacks style better)
rolls or bagels
raisins
fig newtons
crayons or markers
masking tape

Trim the picture and glue it to posterboard. With hole punch or scissors, cut a small hole at the top of the donkey's back, where the saddlebag would go.

Cut bread, jerky and fig newtons into small pieces. Have the kids fill the baggie with an assortment of the foods, making a total volume about egg-sized. Close the bag with the twist tie, then stuff the end through the hole in the cardboard so that the food hangs where the donkey's saddlebag should be. Secure on the back with masking tape. Kids can color the picture, take it home and eat the bagged food later as a trail-mix style snack. I also roasted a couple of lamb shanks and took them in so the kids could taste real sheep meat, and served grape juice in a bota bag canteen ($6 at Wal-mart).

Samuel Called By God Craft

2008-12-16T05:07:00.000-08:00

This was a craft my elementary-aged Sunday School class had fun with when we did the story of Samuel. All you need is foil, mini-marshmallows (we used multicolored) and a mini-gingerbread boy or other human-shaped cookies (we used Keebler elves). On a piece of foil, line up the marshmallows in a rectangle pattern (we did 6 rows of 4; adjust depending on the size of your cookie.) Place on cookie sheet and heat in a 350 degree oven for 2-3 minutes; watch carefully so they don't brown. Marshmallows will puff up and stick together, creating a patchwork quilt-like effect. Cool, and you have an edible "bed" for Samuel to sleep in and hear the voice of God. After they act out the story, they can eat the bed and cookie for a snack.

English Christmas Crackers

2008-12-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to try these, so I made some for my Cadette Girl Scout troop for our last meeting before Christmas break. I found them not hard to make at all; following the directions here, I assembled and filled five in less than an hour. The only supplies I bought online were the cracker snaps, which were reasonably priced and arrived promptly. I got cheap shiny paper and curling ribbon from the Dollar Tree and recycled toliet paper rolls for the tubes. My Scouts got their Cadet Challenge pin and a patch for our holiday service project, along with a mini-Sharpie marker, a Bonne Belle Lip Smacker, a traditional bad joke (I found lots online, most clean enough to use!) and some candy. I have extra supplies and some candy and Dollar Store trinkets for them to make their own to give to family and friends. I don't know yet how well the things actually "crack" but they certainly look festive. I could imagine throwing a big dinner party and having one at every place setting. If the Scouts have as much fun making them as I did, it will be a good meeting.

Squash Casserole

2008-12-07T19:51:00.001-08:00

The same prep school dietician who supplied the wonderful Turkey Divan used this recipe for squash. For you, Pop-tart.

1 pound squash
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 egg
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup chopped pimento
salt and pepper to taste

Topping:

1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 stick melted butter

Cook, drain and mash squash, add rest of ingredients. Mix bread crumbs and butter for topping, sprinkle over all. Cook in casserole dish for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Lemon Poppyseed Slice and Bake Cookies

2008-12-03T05:36:00.000-08:00

Slice and bake cookies are the way to go for cookie exchanges, when you want a lot, quickly. These are great.

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon rind
juice of one lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
2 teaspoon poppy seeds
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar. Mix in eggs, lemon juice, lemon rind and poppy seeds. Mix flour, soda and salt, add and mix until dough forms. Divide into three parts and roll into 15 inch logs on wax paper. Wrap and chill overnight.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice logs into 1/2 inch slices, place on cookie sheet at bake 10-12 minutes.

Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies

2008-12-02T11:52:00.000-08:00

These can be made as chocolate-and-vanilla or chocolate-and-mint, your choice!

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 square unsweetened chocolate
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional)
Green food coloring (optional)

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in milk, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and stir into dough. Divide in half. Add melted chocolate to half; if desired, add peppermint extract and green food coloring to other half. Roll on waxed paper into two large rectangles, stack chocolate dough on the other half. Roll up jellyroll style, wrap and chill several hours. Slice into 1/4 inch slices and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

2008-12-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

A favorite for Christmas cookie exchanges.

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Red food coloring

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and peppermint extract. Combine dry ingredients and mix in until blended. Divide dough in half and tint half red.

Roll out on wax paper in two large rectangles, stack white dough on top of red. Roll up jellyroll style, wrap in waxed paper and chill overnight. Cut log into 1/4 inch slices, place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with red sugar or crushed candy cane pieces, if desired. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Bitter Chocolate Cookies

2008-12-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

I love to bake cookies, especially around the holidays, but plain sugar cookies get old quick. These chocolate ones are great.

3/4 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar, beat in salt, egg and vanilla. Melt chocolate and blend in. Stir in flour. Chill dough, then roll on floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness thencut with cookie cutters. Bake at 425 degrees for 6-8 minutes.

Bird's nest in our Christmas Tree!

2008-12-01T05:43:00.000-08:00

A break from the usual recipes. I wanted to share the pictures of the robin's nest that we found in the Christmas tree we purchased this year

Before.

After.

Natural decorations are awesome!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

2008-11-27T07:40:00.000-08:00

A great use for old or bruised apples.

1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
1-2 cups diced apples

Combine all dry ingredients. Mix egg, oil and milk, beat lightly. Add to dry ingredients all at once, along with apples. Stir just until moistened. Spoon into 12 paper-lined muffin tins. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

Saucy Sausage Casserole

2008-11-19T19:49:00.000-08:00

Wonderful for a brunch or a holiday breakfast.

6 oz. box long grain and wild rice
1 lb. pork sausage
1 lb. ground beef
1 chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
4 oz. can sliced mushroom
8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 oz. sliced almonds, toasted

Cook rice according to package. Brown beef and sausage with onion. Mix rice rice and meat mixture with everything except almonds. Spoon casserole into dish, sprinkle with toasted almonds and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Citrus Punch

2008-11-19T19:41:00.000-08:00

I first made this 12 years ago for a wedding shower/brunch. Very tasty and can be mixed with champagne for great mimosas.

12 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
12 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
12 oz. frozen limeade concentrate
3 cups pineapple juice
enough water to make one gallon total
1 bottle club soda

Mix all concentrates with pineapple juice. Add water to make one gallon, stir. Add a splash of club soda before serving.

Key Lime Cake

2008-11-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

I love icebox pies, and this cake has a delicious filling just like one. Southern Living has from scratch recipes to go with it but I've always just used a mix: the filling is what's important.

1 box white cake mix, plus eggs, oil, etc. according to directions
1/4 cup corn starch
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs, or 2 eggs plus 3 yolks
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1-2 drops each of yellow and green food coloring
1/2 cup lime juice*
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon grated lime rind*

Prepare cake mix according to package, expect bake in two 13" x 9" pans for about 15 minutes or until cake tests done. Cut each layer in half down middle to get 4 nearly square halves. Cool cake layers and set aside.

Dissolve corn starch in cold milk in saucepan. Whisk in sweetened condensed milk, eggs, lime juice and food coloring. Cook to boiling over medium heat, whisking continuously. Boil one minute, remove from heat and stir in lime rind and butter until butter melts. Fill sink half full with ice water, put pan in until mixture is chilled. Stir occasionally. Filling should be very thick, almost like frosting.

Top first layer with 1/3 of filling, place next layer on top. Continue until you have four layers cake and 3 of filling, Wrap in plastic and chill several hours or overnight before frosting. Cake may be frozen at this step and frosted up to a month later.

*to make orange or lemon instead, substitute equal parts lemon juice or orange juice concentrate and lemon or orange rind. Adjust food coloring appropriately.

Frost with appropriate buttercream frosting or the cream cheese frosting from my carrot cake recipe.

Buttercream frosting

1 stick butter
16 oz powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons appropriate citrus fruit rind

Beat butter until fluffy, add one cup powdered sugar and blend. Mix in milk and rind. Gradually beat in remaining sugar until you have a fluffy icing. Add rind and stir. Frost all sides and top of cake.

Pumpkin dip

2008-10-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

A delicious recipe I got from my mom, who got it from my aunt, who got it from a good friend. Serve with sliced apples or ginger snaps.

8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon orange extract

Blend cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add pumpkin and beat until smooth. Beat in spices and orange extract. Chill several hours before serving.

Popcorn brittle

2008-10-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

I recently enjoyed this in a Seattle restaurant and decided to try it myself. After a little experimenting with a couple of recipes, here's what I have.

1/3 cup popcorn
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup hot water
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pop corn in olive oil. Process in food processer until coarse but not finely ground. set aside. Mix water, sugar and corn syrup in saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils. Leave undisturbed on burner until candy thermometer registers 270 degrees. Mix in butter and molasses, cook to 290 degrees. Mix salt, soda and vanilla, stir carefully into carmel mixture. Remove from heat and quickly spread on cookie sheet lined with greased foil. Cool thoroughly and break into chunks

Homemade Dog Biscuits

2008-09-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

Great fun and good gifts to pet owners. Suitable for human consumption if you have strong teeth!

3 1/2 cups flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup rye flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 cups bulgar wheat
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1 tablespoon salt
1 package yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cup canned chicken broth
1/2 cup bacon grease
1 beaten egg
1 tablespoon milk

Mix all dry ingredients. Dissolve yeast in water. Warm chicken broth and bacon grease until fully liquid. Beat egg with milk. Stir all liquids together, then add to flour mixture, mixing with hands until coarse dough forms. Roll dough to 1/8 to 1/4 inches, then cut with shaped cookie cutters. Bake at 300 degrees for 45-60 minutes, depending on thickness, then turn off oven and let biscuits harden several hours or overnight. Makes 50-100 biscuits, depending on size.

Buttermilk pound cake

2008-09-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

My 12-year old recently had to prepare a family meal for a school assignment. She chose this for dessert and it was wonderful!

1 stick butter
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
3 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Beat butter and shortening until creamy and soft, then gradually beat in sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix soda into buttermilk, add to batter alternating with flour and salt. Bake in greased and floured tube pan at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Lime Pepper Chicken

2008-08-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

1/3 cup lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 minced garlic cloves
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Mix juice and oil with spices, marinate chicken several hours or overnight. Grill over gas or hot coals.

Creamy Key Lime Pie

2008-08-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

It's turning out to be Pie Month in the Kitchen. I made this for a dinner we're hosting tomorrow night.

Graham cracker crust (homemade or purchased)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs yolks (save white for meringue, if desired)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup key lime juice
1/2 teaspoon lime zest

Meringue: (optional)

3 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon corn starch

1/3 cup sugar

Beat cream cheese with electric mixture until fluffy. Over double boiler, cook egg yolks, milk and lime juice for 10-12 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and gradually beat into cream cheese, until smooth. No need for further cooking if you are skipping meringue; just chill overnight. If you want meringue, beat egg whites until foamy, add starch and cream of tartar, then gradually beat in sugar until stiff peaks form. Top pie, swirl, then bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until browned. Chill pie several hours or overnight.

Italian chicken and broccoli impossible pie

2008-08-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

Makes an extra-large casserole: halve the recipe for a family-sized pie.

1 1/2 cut nonfat cottage cheese
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
3 cups cooked cubed chicken
2 cups cooked chopped broccoli
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon ground garlic
2 teaspoons parsley
16 oz can tomato paste
2 cups skim milk
4 eggs
1 1/3 cup Bisquick
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Peach Pie

2008-08-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

My daughter came home with a bag full of fresh peaches from a day camp field trip to Chiles Peach Orchard. Way too many for the family to eat, so naturally, I made a pie.

6 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced.
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons butter
double recipe pie crust

Line pie pan with crust. Mix peaches, sugar, flour and nutmeg and let sit for 30 minutes or so, until it gets syrupy. Cook to boiling over medium heat, then lower to low and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in vanilla and butter. Pour peaches into crust. Slice second crust into strips and top lattice style. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower heat to 350 and bake another 20-30 minutes, until crust browns.

Zucchini Bread

2008-07-31T17:09:00.000-07:00

A recipe from my daughter's Sunday school teacher. My daughter loved this and it was the first indication I had that she would eat zucchini. This, plus the zucchini parmesan muffins below were two ways I partially disposed of Zucchini-Zilla.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup oil

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Make a well in the center. Combine eggs, sugar, zucchini, and oil, mix thoroughly. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir all just until moistened. pour into two greased loaf pans, bake 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees. Let sit overnight.

Zucchini Parmesan Muffins

2008-07-31T14:08:00.000-07:00

A friend from church gave me a huge zucchini from her garden. This is one of the uses I put it to.

2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup oil
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 tablespoons ground fresh basil
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Grease 24 muffin tins. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Beat eggs, then stir in oil and milk. Mix all dry ingredients, then add gradually to egg mixture, mixing until almost smooth. Fold in zucchini and basil. Fill muffin tins half full, top with a pinch of cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Cheeseburger Pie

2008-07-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

Supposedly, this was a popular dish for teenagers in the 1960's, before pizza replaced it as a favorite party food. Can anyone maybe 15 years or so older than me confirm this? I made it for a church supper tonight; kids didn't care for it much but it was a big hit with the over-fifty set.

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Bisquick
1/4 cup water
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs
2 sliced tomatoes
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar

Mix 1 cup Bisquick with 1/4 cup water to make soft dough. Line pie pan with rolled biscuit dough. Brown ground beef with onion, season with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle beef with remaining 2 tablespoons Bisquick, stir until thick. Put meat mixture in pir crust. Beat eggs and mix with cottage cheese, pour on top of beef. Top with sliced tomato, sprinkle cheese over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Saucy Chicken Casserole

2008-07-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

I made this for the first time last night and the family loved it. Great flavor. Next time I'm going to try reduced fat soup and milk for the sauce and see if I can cut some calories. The sauce makes a great gravy: serve with rice or biscuits.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 large vidalia onion, chopped
1 can green peas
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in casserole dish. Dredge chicken pieces in flour. Bake chicken uncovered 20 minutes, then turn pieces and bake for 15 minutes more. Remove from oven, reduce heat to 350. Top chicken with chopped onions and peas. Combine soup, milk, salt and pepper, pour over chicken. Cover and return for oven for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Chocolate Angel Food Cake with Kahlua Sauce

2008-06-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

Baking a lot of key lime pies left me with a lot of egg whites leftover, so I made this. Low calorie but wonderfully flavorful. (133 calories with less than a gram of fat per serving!)

Cake:
9 egg whites
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/8 cup sugar
4.5 tablespoons cocoa
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Sauce:
3/8 cup sugar
1.5 teaspoons cornstarch
1.5 cups skim milk
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons Kahlua (or other liqueur of your choice)

Sift together flour, cocoa, 3/8 cup sugar and cinnamon, set aside. Beat egg whites with electric mixer until foamy, add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, beating continuously until stiff peaks form. Fold in dry ingredients and mix completely. Pour into ungreased tube pan. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Invert and cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from pan.

For sauce, dissolve 3/8 cup sugar and cornstarch in cold milk; whisk in egg. Cook to boiling over low heat, stirring continuously. Boil one minute ,then remove from heat and whisk in Kahlua. Serve cake slices with a tablespoon of sauce and sliced berries, if desired. Makes 15 1 inch pieces. Serves 15.

Low Calorie Buffalo Chicken

2008-06-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Another adaptation from Sparkpeople. 177 calories and 7 grams of fat.

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 6 oz. container nonfat yogurt
2 packs Shake 'n Bake
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup hot sauce

Marinate chicken pieces in yogurt in refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Cover with Shake 'n Bake and place on greased baking sheet. Bake in preheated 450-degree oven for 15 minutes. Turn chicken over and bake for 10-15 more. While chicken is cooking, microwave butter and hot sauce together until butter is melted; stir. Pour a small amount of sauce in serving dish; place chicken pieces on top. Drizzle with the reset of the hot sauce until each piece is covered. Serve with reduced-fat ranch dressing, if desired.

Thai Turkey Salad

2008-06-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

A low-calorie recipe, adapted from Sparkpeople. I tried it today and predict it will become a post-Thanksgiving specialty. Less than 200 calories per serving. Increase the ginger and hot sauce if you like it spicier.
Dressing:

1/4 cup nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1.5 teaspoons soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon

Salad:

1 pound cooked turkey, chopped
1/2 red pepper
2 green onions
1 large celery stalk
1 package salad greens

Combine dressing ingredients until well blended. Warm in microwave 1-2 minutes, stir and cool. Chop pepper, onions and celery in food processor. Mix with turkey, poor dressing over all and stir to coat. Chill. Serve 1/2 cup over a bed of salad greens. Makes 8 servings.

Key Lime Pie

2008-06-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

1 ready-made graham cracker crust
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Separate eggs, save 3 whites for meringue. Beat egg yolks into sweetened condensed milk, add lime juice and mix thoroughly. Beat one egg white until stiff, fold into milk mixture. Pour into pie crust. Beat remaining egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy; add corn starch. Gradually add sugar to egg whites while beating, until stiff peaks form. Top pie with meringue; bake for 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.

Shepherd's Pie

2008-05-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

Another good all-in-one meal.

1 1/2 pound ground beef
4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups mixed vegetables
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup beef broth
6 servings mashed potatoes (instant or scratch)

Melt butter in skillet, saute onion until tender. Add beef and cook until brown. Mix in broth, Worcestershire sauce and vegetables, heat until bubbly. Put in casserole and top with mashed potatoes. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are brown.

Dutch Meat Loaf

2008-05-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

I don't make meatloaf that often, but when I do, this is usually the one I make.

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
8 oz can tomato sauce (divided)
1 chopped onion
1 chopped bell pepper
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Sauce:

Remaining tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons yellow or brown mustard
1 tablespoon vinegar

Combine meat, bread crumbs, half the tomato sauce, egg, oinion, bell pepper, salt and pepper; mix with hands and shape into loaf. Place in shallow baking dish. Combine sauce ingredients, whisk and pour over loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Cream cheese spritz cookies

2008-04-19T06:15:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of pressed cookies in general, but these are good. Not overly sweet, very nice for a tea or other elegant occasion.

1 cup softened butter or margarine
8 oz softened cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt
2 cups flour
decorating sugar or sprinkles

Cream butter and cream cheese; add sugar and beat until fluffy. Stir in vanilla, then add salt and flour and mix until soft dough forms. Chill. Pack into cookie press and make cookies in desired shaped. Sprinkle with colored sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes; watch carefully to prevent over-browning.

Sunday School Baptism Craft

2008-04-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

I've done this craft twice with Sunday School classes and it's been a big hit both times. Today, my preschoolers made them as part of their lesson about Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch, but
it's adaptable for any baptism story (Lydia, John the Baptist, etc.) Or, draw a whale instead for the story of Jonah. Older siblings of the preschoolers (up to high school age) were spied playing with the bottles after church.

This is a variation of the Cartesian diver. For each craft you need:

1 ketchup packet
1 clear 16-20 oz. plastic bottle
Sharpie markers, or other waterproof brand
Masking tape (optional)

You'll need to pre-screen your ketchup packets to find ones that are suitable. I've had good luck with Heinz brands from Burger King and Chick-Fil-A. Drop them in a big bowl of water. You want ones that float vertically while almost completely submerged. Packets that sink to the bottom or that float horizontally in the top will not work.
Have the kids draw a picture of the person being baptized on the white side of the packet. Be careful using permanent markers with kids and be warned that they have a tendency to smear on the slick packet. For younger kids, it may be better for the teacher to pre-draw the picture. Be sure the image is dry before proceeding.
Fill the bottle with water and gently push the ketchup packet in. Fill with water to the top and screw the lid on tightly. Securing the cap with making tape will discourage young hands from removing it.
Squeeze the bottle gently and the ketchup packet sinks to the bottom. Release, and it rises again. Great fun!

Chicken Pot Pie

2008-03-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

An easy, make-ahead, all-in-one supper. I use ready-made crusts.

2 1/2 cups cooked chicken (I poach a couple of boneless chicken breasts, then saute with the onions and garlic, but any will do.)
1 cup sliced carrots
2 cups green peas
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2 cup diced onion
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
double pastry pie crust, deep dish

Cook peas and carrots until tender. Melt butter in skillet, saute onions and garlic until tender. Stir corn starch into milk until smooth, cook over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat, mix in thyme, salt and pepper In mixing bowl, combine chicken, peas, carrots, onions and milk mixture. Pour into pie crust, top with other crust and seal. Cut four slits in top crust. Bake on cokie sheet for 35 minutes at 375 degrees.

Mimi's Holy Bread

2008-03-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

For full effect, go here to see illustrations of how to put this together. A great loaf for people who don't thing they have time to make bread. I envision stuffing this full of savory meats and cheeses and taking it the next time I take a meal to a family with a new baby.

3 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 packet rapid rise yeast
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup warm water

Mix 2 1/4 cups flour and next three ingredients, add butter and warm water and work into soft dough. Add more flour (enough to keep it from getting sticky) and knead for 4 minutes. Sprinkle more of flour on surface and roll into 13 by 9 inch rectangle. Don't worry if you don't use all the flour.

You are now ready to add fillings. According to Mimi, a wide variety are possible, both sweet and savory. Some recommendations:

3 tablespoons softened butter plus cinnamon sugar
pesto, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomato
sausage and provolone
pizza sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese
pesto and mozzarella

For spreadable fillings (butter, sugar, pesto etc, spread over entire surface of dough. Make cuts across both long edge of dough, 1/3 the way across. Pile any chunkier fillings (meat, cheese) down the center, uncut strip. Bring opposite strips together across dough, pressing so that fillings are wrapped in dough and top has a braided appearance. Look at Mimi's pictures to see how it's done. Brush top with melted butter or olive oil.

Let rise on cookie sheet set above casserole dish of hot water 15-20 minutes. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

Hoppin' John

2008-03-07T21:24:00.001-08:00

I made this on New Years, and liked it so much that I repeated it, en masse, for a recent church supper. Very filling and great for a damp, chilly day.

1 pound dried black-eyed peas
8 cups water
2 packets Goya seasoning
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 pound diced ham, or sausage, cooked
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper (or more, to taste)
3 cups long grain rice
Tabasco sauce

Soak beans overnight and rinse, Combine beans with water, bring to a boil. Add spices, onion, pepper, bacon, meat salt and pepper. Cover and simmer several hours, until beans are tender but not mushy. Add more water, as needed, to keep bean mixture soup-like. Prepare rice according to directions. Serve beans in bowl, over rice, adding hot sauce as desired.

Black-eyed Susans

2008-02-10T13:57:00.000-08:00

A great pressed cookie! Beautiful when flower or star-shaped, though I recently used heart-shaped cookies and chocolates for Valentine's Day.

1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
50-60 Hershey's kisses

Cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg, then water and vanilla. Beat in peanut butter. Combine dry ingredients, then stir into batter. Using star- or flower-shaped disc, press cookies ont baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and immediately press unwrapped chocolate into center. Cool thoroughly.

Cranberry Fudge Cake

2008-02-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

Want to make something delicious out of that 85% of a can of cranberry sauce left over after the holiday meal? Try this cake; it's wonderful!

2/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 cup cranberry sauce (whole berry or jellied)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Melt chocolates and butter together in microwave, beat with wire whisk until smooth. Beat in sugar and cranberry sauce, followed by eggs and vanilla. Mix flour and baking powder, stir into batter. Bake in greased and floured springform pan at 325 for 40 minutes. Chill.

Glaze

1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup jellied cranberry sauce

Melt chocolate chips with cream in microwave, whisk in cranberry sauce. Remove side of cake pan and pour glaze over all, allowing some to drip down sides. Refrigerate to harden glaze.

Chocolate Cut-out Cookies

2008-02-02T11:21:00.000-08:00

An easy dough to work with that keeps it shape when baking. I just made a bunch of squirrel-shaped ones (the squirrel is our school mascot) for a Valentine's bake sale.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa

Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients, add gradually to butter mixture. Divide dough into two balls and chill 30 minutes.

Working with half of dough at a time, roll to 1/8 inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters. Place on greased cookie sheets and sprinkle if desired. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes.

Dewey Apple Dessert

2008-01-17T16:49:00.000-08:00

Easy, unusual and delicious!

2 cans crescent rolls
2 apples, cut into eighths
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
12 oz Mountain Dew

Wrap each apple section in a cresent roll, arrange in casserole dish. Melt butter, add sugar and pour over apples. Pour Mountain Dew over all. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Carrot Cake

2008-01-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite carrot cake recipe. I like that it's made in a tube pan: no fussing with layers. If you're going to do a carrot cake from scratch, you might as well spring for homemade icing, too. I made this for my husband's birthday cake this year.

1 1/2 cups oil
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 cups grated carrots
1 cup nuts (optional)

Combine first three ingredients. Mix dry ingredients together, add to sugar mixture. Fold in nuts, if desired. Pour into greased and floured tube pan, bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Remove from pan and cool before frosting.

Cream cheese frosting

8 oz cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk

Soften cream cheese and butter, beat until creamy. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Add as much of the milk as needed, until frosting is desired consistency. Note: this makes a bit more frosting than needed for the cake. About enough for a pan of brownies.

Pork spareribs

2007-12-31T19:30:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-31T19:20:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-15T19:44:00.001-08:00

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

2007-12-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-02T18:17:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-26T14:39:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-23T16:49:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-23T16:25:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-19T17:24:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-16T12:11:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-10T12:17:00.000-08:00

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

2007-10-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-09T05:40:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-09T11:43:00.001-07:00

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:

Prepare Jello according to directions, pour abut 1/3 cup into each plastic cup.
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

2007-09-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-06T19:15:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-24T09:05:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

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.