Cake Pops - An easy treat!

Over the last year, I've noticed that the newest treat idea has been Cake Pops. I read up on a few recipes and the concept is pretty easy with a great outcome which would make you look like a kitchen expert. The basic recipe is to bake a sheet cake from a boxed mix, your choice of flavor. Once the cake has been baked and cooled, you crumble it into a large bowl and then bind the cake crumbs together with either store-bought or homemade buttercream frosting. You need to add enough in order to form balls of 'dough'. You insert a lollipop stick into each of them and freeze the cake balls until firm. You dip them in either candy coating or melted chocolate to cover and form a shell. Now, that is the bare minimum, however, it seems to me that so much more can be done to enhance these little cakes on a stick. Ideas . . . You could include some crushed candy cane in the crumb mix. Have some ground nuts on hand so you can immediately dip the end of the cake ball into them. Put some melted coating into a squeeze bottle and drizzle a design on the freshly coated treats. Dust them with colorful sugar or sprinkles before the coating sets. Add some tiny chocolate chips to the crumb mix. If we hadn't been gifted or treated to so many treats over Christmas, I'd be running into the kitchen to try some of these right now. I'm thinking that this would be a great way to pass out some Valentine's Day happiness in February.

Cook's Catalyst - Chapter 10 - It Isn't Always Pride that is Puffed Up!

Chapter Ten It Isn't Always Pride That is Puffed Up You never thought you would learn to make crepes. If crepes start appearing in your menus, can cream puffs be far behind? Creative cooks need basic beginnings. Even during those pre-payday times, cream puffs are not out of the realm of the possible. The following recipe for cream puffs may surprise you with it's ordinary ingredients and ease of preparation. Cream Puffs One cup water ½ cup butter or margarine One cup all-purpose flour 4 eggs Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring the water and butter to a boil in a pot. Stir in the flour all at once and stir over low heat until mixture forms a ball. This happens fairly soon. Don't let it scorch! Remove dough from pan and place quickly in mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs all at once. Continue until batter is smooth. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto an ungreased baking sheet. The cream puffs take 30 to 40 minutes to bake. Try not to open the door until they have been going 20 minutes. The cream puffs should be well puffed up and golden. Cool before filling. Like crepes, cream puffs can be either dessert, dinner or appetizer. If you are in a hurry and desire something sweet, cut a slit in the side of the cooled puff and fill with whipped cream. Serve immediately. During the summer months, try strawberries and top each cream puff with a flourish of whipped cream. Ice cream can happen, too. A drizzle of hot fudge can only compliment your kitchen creation. If you like a pudding filling, there is a boxed flavor favorite at your supermarket. If you want an impressive dinner presentation, try filling them with creamed chicken, tuna salad or ham salad. These are suggestions to get your creative juices going. Going to a potluck? Drop the cream puff batter on the baking sheet in teaspoon-sized blobs. You want small ones here. When they are cooled, slit them on one side and fill with favorite potted meats. They pile up in a beautiful pyramid and are fun to eat, especially if you use a variety of fillings. You need drier fillings here or you could end up with a collapsing, soggy presentation. Making cream puffs was always an event in my mother's kitchen. And to my youthful mind, she never did make enough of them! Back then, I preferred my puffs plain and was always chagrined to see her fill them up. I have gotten smarter on that score but deal with the same problem with my children now. All I have to do is smell them baking and I am momentarily back in my mother's kitchen, waiting impatiently at the table for the outcome of the oven.

Cook's Catalyst - Chapter 9 - The Lowly Pancake Arrives

Chapter Nine The Lowly Pancake Arrives Eggs stretch pancakes into something special. Some call them crepes. I call them lifesavers when you need an elegant meal or dessert on a budget. You can stuff them or flambee them with equally dramatic results. My mother was asked to prepare a breakfast for a bishop after a Confirmation ceremony. She wanted to impress the bishop for the sake of her pastor. She decided to make crepes as a high point of an already formal breakfast. It went well. She marched in with the flaming platter aglow, covered it with a flourish to extinguish the flames. The sweet smell of the 100-proof brandy was soon joined by the smell of singed hair. When she lifted the lid to serve, the brandy flames proved rather more stalwart than anticipated. The flames made a last uprising and gave my mother's eyebrows and hair a quick redo. No burns, just a bit of humility. For an ordinary evening, dispense with the flame thrower and be circumspect with the brandy. You can, however, combine four eggs, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon of milk and a pinch salt. The batter should be thin but not watery. It is easier to work with if made an hour or two before you need it. You will need a non-stick frying pan with low sides. Heat the pan and drop in a bit of butter. When it is bubbling, pour in only enough crepe batter to very thinly cover the bottom of the pan. Cook for a minute and carefully turn over and lightly brown on the other side. You want them golden, not stiff. Stack between sheets of waxed paper while you make the rest. You should get about eight crepes. The recipe is easily doubled or tripled. You now have your beautiful crepes ready. Once you get the hang of coating the batter in the hot pan, this will go quickly. Now decision and invention time. Do you want a dessert or main course? A peek in the refrigerator will give you the parameters you have to work with! For an easy dessert, the thin pancakes can be coated with a layer of a favorite jam. Fold each one in half and half again to form a triangle. Arrange imaginatively on a serving platter and dust with powdered sugar. For an interesting dessert, fold the crepes as described. Arrange on a serving platter, each one overlapping a bit. Mix together the juice of a lemon, an orange and a tablespoon of brandy. Dribble the mixture over the crepes and sprinkle with granulated sugar. A few twists of orange zest will put you over the top in the chef's competition! You now have the completed the basic crepes but need a savory course, not a dessert. Make a filling of either leftover, diced chicken or canned tuna. Sprinkle with pepper, salt and dried dill. Add some grated cheese, your choice. You can add some canned chiles, salsa, diced bell pepper, crumbled bacon, or shredded carrots. Combine mixture with a raw egg or two. Fill each crepe, roll up and placed in a greased baking dish. Squeeze them all in and top with more cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately thirty minutes. Serve with a big salad since you have successfully cooked your starch with the meat! My mother liked to top it with some canned, mushroom soup before baking. Think about tastes and give free reign to your ideas. For an ordinary, run-of-the mill, hurried morning, plain pancakes will probably serve your purpose. Simple Pancake Recipe 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 6 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoon sugar 2 large egg 4 tablespoons oil or melted shortening 2 cups milk Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg and oil (or shortening) and milk. Mix well. Grease griddle or large frying pan. When hot, pour batter, about 1/4 cup at a time. When it bubbles, turn over an cook other side. Makes about 24 medium pancakes. If you are fortunate enough to possess a waffle iron, this recipe works perfectly for that, too. Waffles always seem to taste different because of their crispness. Remember that besides being a breakfast treat, fruit and whipped cream will make it welcome after a light dinner. It will be light on the budget, too!

Peppermint Cocoa

When the anticipation gets to be too much for excited children . . . or adults, plan an after-dinner treat of hot cocoa. There is nothing like warming hand around a mug of chocolate sweetness, sharing memories, and thinking about the reason for the season before bedtime. The peppermint stick makes a great stirrer. I've noticed they also sell peppermint chocolate candy canes, too, which might enhance the final product even more. No time to mix up your own cocoa? Stock up on the packaged cocoa mixes and play it up with the candy canes and extra cream. After all, it's your holiday, too! Peppermint cocoa 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 cup white sugar 1 pinch salt 1/3 cup boiling water 3 ½ cups milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ cup half-and-half cream (or splurge and go with cream!) Peppermint candy canes Whipped cream Mix the cocoa, sugar, and salt in a pot. Stir in the boiling water and whisk to get all the lumps out. Pour in the milk and stir to mix. Slowly bring to a simmer, stirring as needed. When the cocoa is hot, add the vanilla and cream of choice. Bring back to serving temperature. Pour into cups and top with whipped cream and stick in a candy cane for stirring. Your house will smell festive . . . and it tastes good, too!

Cook's Catalyst - Chapter 8 - Invite Spud to Dinner

Chapter Eight Invite Spud to Dinner . . . and other starch friends I always think in basic three when I plan a meal. There should always be a meat, starch and vegetable. Chicken adapts to just about any starch you want to put next to it on the plate. Fried Chicken in the Oven begs for whipped potatoes. Ordinary Oven Chicken needs potato wedges. Lemon Oven Chicken goes with buttered noodles. Barbecued Chicken in the Oven definitely calls for potato salad. We all have favorite recipes for the potato. Just in case you need an inspirational nudge, begin with the following and follow your inclinations. Potato Wedges are simply that! Scrub, peel and cut into lengthwise wedges, four or five russet potatoes. Wedge them between the pieces of chicken in the baking pan and brush with the same olive oil you are using for your Ordinary Oven Chicken. Don't forget to salt and pepper. Whipped Potatoes are easy. Once you make your own, you will never want to use boxed ones again! Scrub, peel and dice four to six baking potatoes. Simmer in a pot of water until the potatoes are just tender. Drain (save the potato water for your next bread baking!), place in mixing bowl with ½ cup hot milk, three tablespoons butter, salt and pepper to taste. Beat until light and fluffy. Scrape into a microwave bowl, cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve. The potatoes heat up beautifully in the microwave at high for five to eight minutes. Buttered Pasta is almost self-explanatory. Cook your chosen pasta to desired doneness. Place in heated serving bowl and toss with two tablespoons butter, salt, pepper and a bit of dill. Serve immediately with Lemon Oven Chicken. Potato Salad comes in every taste, shape and type. My favorite way is to scrub, peel and dice six to eight white rose potatoes, depending on the size. Simmer until just done, drain and place in bowl for mixing. Splash with a quarter cup of cider vinegar. Toss in a packet of dry Italian salad mix, mayonnaise, brown mustard, sweet relish and chopped, hard-boiled eggs. This is just a basis. Taste and adjust to your family's likes. You can have a picnic at your kitchen table when the Barbequed Chicken and potato salad make their appearance. While you are boiling the eggs for your potato salad, make a few extra for the next day. Stuffed eggs are an attractive lure to the dinner table. Eggs, in fact, are good budget stretchers and should be seen more often than at Easter egg hunts. I loved hunting eggs at Easter and remember my discoveries showing up as stuffed eggs, the streaks of egg coloring giving away their recent origins! In my early married life, I also discovered that stuffed eggs don't always turn out as attractively as you would like. That was when I realized you could make an appealing display of egg salad on a bed of lettuce. No one would be the wiser as to your recent kitchen disaster with the stuffed eggs. Stuffed Eggs can be made from ingredients probably already in your refrigerator. What you put into the recipe depends on what you want to taste when you are done! First I take my boiled, cooled and peeled eggs and slice them lengthwise in half. The yolks will pop out fairly easily. I mash them in a bowl, adding a spoonful or two of mayonnaise, bit of mustard, salt, pepper, and sweet or dill relish. Once thoroughly combined, I mound the yolk mixture back into the egg whites. This usually goes well but if the whites tend to crack or fall apart, this is your cue to chop them up, add to the yolks and . . . serve egg salad! Several days after Easter, the goodies were dwindling. My daughter, Julianna, desperately wanted a hard-boiled egg. I told her there was one left in the refrigerator although it was a bit smashed. She took one look at the lone egg and slammed the door saying, "I'm definitely not going to eat an egg that is hatching!" Eggs can begin your day, be a boiled one in your lunch or become dinner. When the paycheck is slow in reaching the checking account, you can always depend on eggs to stretch the week out just a bit more. Sometimes it is fun to have breakfast for dinner. If you want to be cheap and elegant, an omelet is called for here. The basic recipe for an omelet is three or four beaten eggs mixed with a splash of milk and poured into a hot pan with a pat of melted butter or margarine. Turn the temperature low and cook slowly. Before the middle of the omelet has a chance to set, grate some cheese over it, add some salsa, crumbled bacon or cooked sausage. Just before serving, try folding it in half. Don't worry about tears. The taste is what matters here. Again, these are ideas. Let them percolate and allow your imagination take over.

Vegetarian Chili

We like to go meatless a couple of days a week but it can be a challenge to find a recipe that doesn’t call for soy products. My husband can’t eat soy. During Lent and the meatless Fridays, I’m always straining my brain for nourishing meals that also taste good, too. This one seems to fit the requirements. It has everything you need to be filling and tasty and you can serve it as spicy as you want. I always put chili flakes on the table along with the salt and pepper for those in the family who like to breathe fire! Vegetarian Chili 1 cup finely grated carrot 1 Portobelo mushroom, minced One onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped finely 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce 2 cans beans (black, kidney, pinto, your choice!) 1 cup frozen corn 1 can diced tomatoes 1 cup pasta sauce, your favorite brand ¼ cup chunky salsa ¼ cup fresh cilantro Chili powder to taste Ground cumin to taste Tortilla chips shredded Cheese green onions, chopped sour cream to top Saute the carrot, mushroom, onion and garlic in a cooking pot with the olive oil until everything is tender. Add the Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce, beans, corn, pasta sauce, and salsa. Stir to mix and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the chili and ground cumin, cook another five minutes. Add the cilantro and serve. Top with chips, shredded cheese, green onions, and sour cream.

Cook's Catalyst - Chapter 7 - You Can't Chicken Out at This Point . . .

Chapter Seven You Can't Chicken Out at This Point What is almost always on sale somewhere and appears on your dinner table more often than you would like to think about? Chicken! The price is right but it seems to be such a limiting bird. No matter how you fry it, you still end up with chicken. If you notice this, it is a good bet that your family does, too. You shouldn't let chicken make you feel cooped up. It can safely appear at your table three times a week and still be welcomed. We had a lot of chicken when I was growing up. I remember one time, my mother had three, whole chickens to deal with for a company dinner. She was a bit harried. As a twelve year old, I probably wasn't ideal help. The chickens were on the counter awaiting culinary direction. My mother left the room to tend to other matters. When she returned, I was gone but the three, plump birds had formed a trio. Before I left, I had seated them closely, side by side on the edge of the counter and chummily arranged their wings around each other. My stressed mother got through the evening with a chuckle every time she thought about it. Chicken is versatile. And your oven (especially on those cold, overcast days) can take the drudgery out of cooking it. With a little forethought, you can present a platter of chicken at the dinner table that will eliminate the need for putting away leftovers. The following are general ideas. You are the only one who knows how much is needed by your family. As you try each suggestion, you will soon be incorporating the ideas into your mainstream kitchen life. The ideas will soon be a part of your cooking, not just words of direction in a book. Fried Chicken in the Oven takes the grease splatters out of your life! You will need two or more sticks of butter or margarine, melted. And one or more cut up chickens, depending on the size of your family. Cutting it up yourself saves money especially when you hit those under eighty cents a pound sales. Mix approximately two cups all-purpose flour blended with the following: salt and pepper to tastes, garlic salt, half-sharp paprika and any other seasoning in your cupboard you like or that sounds interesting. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Dip each piece of chicken into the melted butter or margarine, coat with seasoned flour and arrange the pieces on a baking pan or sheet (with sides!). Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until chicken is golden, crispy and fork tender. Drain excess fat, arrange on platter and serve. It takes about ten minutes to prepare, tastes like fried and avoids the mess of frying. There is something about coming into the kitchen and smelling chicken cooking. My family would probably welcome oven baked chicken five times a week. Sometimes the budget dictates chicken more than once a week! Once you realize the oven can do your work and save you time, there are other ways to cook that bird! Ordinary Oven Chicken needs cut up chicken, one-half cup olive oil or vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange chicken in a baking pan. Brush with oil and liberally pepper and conservatively salt the chicken. Bake for about 20 minutes and brush with oil again. Continue until golden, the skin is crisp and it is tender, approximately 25 minutes more. Serve hot, warm or cold. Lemon Oven Chicken calls for juice of two lemons (limes are an interesting change), 1/4 cup (or more) olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, paprika, dash of chili powder, if desired. Combine all the ingredients and bake chicken as outlined in previous recipe. Barbequed Chicken in the Oven is good for days when you don't want to light charcoal! All you need for this one is a bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce. You will be surprised to see the variety available at the supermarket today. Pick out something different but that still sounds appealing to your family. Proceed as instructed in Ordinary Oven Chicken. Don't brush on the sauce until after the chicken has been in the oven twenty minutes. Great served hot and very good the next day for a cold picnic lunch.

A Great Link for vegetarians heading for college . . .

Bestcollegesonline.com recently shared their link with me in hopes that I will pass it on to the blog audience - which I was happy to do! I have to remember to share any vegetarian recipes I come across in the future, too. Although I, personally, am not a vegetarian, I tend to go that way with two of my meals a day. (http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2011/12/19/14-colleges-that-cater-to-vegans-and-vegetarians/) I’ve been watching my diet, lately, and discovered how much better I feel when I stick to snacks of fruit, vegetables, or nuts between meals. It has sure kept me away from processed junk and I can feel the difference in my energy and attitude. It’s funny, too, as I’m paying more attention to the season and when my favorite produce is available!

Cook's Cayalyst - Chapter 6 - Learning to Dump Dumplings

Chapter Six Learning to Dump Dumplings Rice and the various shapes of pasta go a long way in making your soup presentation. Dumplings, however, will stretch the paycheck and please the family. Since the soup is hot anyway, go ahead and get creative with the starch. You can produce perfectly acceptable dumplings by following the recipe found on the back of most biscuit mix boxes. They are simple to prepare and can be enhanced with a little touch of dry dill, pepper and garlic salt in the batter. Cook as directed for good results. These boxed mixes are sometimes a bit pricey when you are on a budget. You have conquered bread and soup, why not dumplings? My mother got adventurous once when she was short on time. The result were some dumplings that were half the size of a golf ball and chewy verging on hard. They were impervious to the broth and insisted on sinking to the bottom of the soup. The recipe said they would ripen if served the next day. After one of them fell off the table and bounced on the floor, my mother decided not to give them another chance! Butter Dumplings are solid, satisfying and taste good, too. They are not known for their lightness so you can approach the mixing bowl with few qualms. For six to eight servings, you will need: Butter Dumplings 4 tablespoons softened butter 4 eggs one cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon salt A dash of pepper A generous pinch of dried dill and thyme. Cream the butter until soft. Beat in the eggs and stir in the flour, salt and seasonings. You may haveto  add or reduce the flour depending on the dryness of the weather. Drop rounded teaspoonsfuls into the simmering soup. Simmer, covered, very gently for approximately eight minutes. 　 Lighter Soup Dumplings turn out as their title indicates. For eight servings, you will need: 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoon baking powder 2 teaspoons salt Dash garlic powder, pepper 4 egg yolks 2/3 cup milk Combine the dry ingredients. Mix the egg yolks with milk and add to dry ingredients. Mix carefully until just blended. Drop batter by tablespoons onto simmering soup. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes without peeking! Serve immediately. I was traumatized by dumplings early on in my marriage. I called my mother to ask for directions for making a certain type of dumpling. Although I managed to make a presentable batter, I decided to cook them quickly. I took a rapidly boiling pot of water, dropped in my dumplings and covered the pot. I maintained the high temperature and gave them over fifteen minutes for good luck. There were quite a few newlywed tears for my husband to mop up. I proudly opened up the pot to show off my perfect dumplings only to find a pot full of cloudy water. My dumplings had disintegrated completely!

Cook's Catalyst - Chapter 5 - Eating & Staying on the Budget

Chapter Five Eating and Staying on the Budget Soup was another good smell that came from my mother’s kitchen. I enjoy the process because it reminds me of my mother. Soup is a good chill chaser, everyone likes it and it is easy on the budget. You can plan soup, however letting it happen makes for happy surprises. Whenever I trim a roast, bone chicken or cut the meat from chops, the bits and pieces go into the freezer. When the need for soup hits, I take out my hoard of frozen ‘discards’ and make soup! And it doesn’t matter much about the combination. All you need is a pot of water, your odds and ends of meat, a couple of onions, three bay leaves, a pinch of peppercorns, a rib of celery, an old carrot, three or four cloves of garlic and a day to simmer it all. Slow cooking is the key to bringing out the flavors. When you use a combination of meats and bones, you get a good stock for vegetable soup, tomato soup or cream soups. If you are after chicken soup, use the leftover bits of chicken (including the skin) and throw in a small pork bone if you have it. Watch for the sales. A couple of chicken breasts provide an adequate amount of meat for chicken soup. Vegetable Soup is easy once you have the stock. If you are in a hurry, use a 16 ounce bag of frozen, mixed vegetables. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, freshly grated garlic and perhaps, a sliver of fresh ginger, finely diced. Noodles or rice will make it more filling. And, of course, you are already a master bread baker, so we don’t even have to make that suggestion to you! Chicken Soup needs freshly grated garlic to taste, salt, pepper and a bit of poultry seasoning. A pinch of dried dill is good, too. Big, fat noodles are welcome in this soup. Add diced vegetables of your choice or go with the frozen ones. Just before serving, sprinkle some finely chopped green onion over each serving. Cream Soup can use any type of stock. Decide on what kind of soup, cream of broccoli, cream of asparagus, or whatever sounds good at the moment. Take three medium-sized potatoes, peel and slice very thin. Dice one yellow onion and two or three cloves of fresh garlic. Chop up your main vegetable ingredient of choice. In a large soup kettle, heat three tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the onions until almost golden, add the potatoes, vegetable, garlic, main vegetable, and two cups of stock. Cover and simmer gently until the potatoes are soft. After it has cooled, put the contents of the pot through a blender or food processor. Put puree back in kettle, add three cups of stock, one cup milk or cream, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and any other herb or spice that sounds good . . . it probably will be! Soup From a Jar 1/4 pound ground beef 1/4 pound sausage meat 1 onion, chopped 1 26-ounce jar your favorite spaghetti sauce 1 ½ cups water, approximate ½ cup red wine 1 pound frozen, mixed vegetables 1 regular-sized can white beans 2 or 3 cups cooked pasta - you decide! 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground, black pepper ½ teaspoon oregano Brown the ground beef and sausage until brown and crumbly. Use a large, heavy-duty cooking pot that has a lid. Add the onion and cook just until onion starts to get limp, about five minutes. Add everything else! If the soup is too thick, add more water. Bring to a simmer. Serve hot bowls of this hearty soup on those miserable, rainy days. Short tempers will start to lengthen and everyone will know mom still loves them. Offer it with bread to sop up the bottom of the bowl and salad for contrast and good health! Use Italian dressing, of course! Soup is very merciful! As long as it is hot, seasoned and accompanied by your homemade bread, your will get a rave review. Creativity is the main ingredient. Leftover vegetables, canned beans, croutons and dumplings all go to making your dinner memorable. Soup and bread is such a convenient meal. The bread is baked in the oven and the soup needs the top of the stove. Besides, turning on the oven means you can turn off the central heat and save and gain at the same time. As long as you are stocking up on those time-saving jars of prepared spaghetti sauces, keep the idea of casseroles in mind. The following is a relatively inexpensive but filling meal for those of us who still observe meatless Fridays. Actually, it tastes great on any cold day when you are looking for a comfort food meal with the family. As always, a chunk of your bread and a green salad will fill out the meal nicely. Baked Ziti 1 28 ounce jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce 16 ounces Ziti (This merely refers to the name of the shape of the pasta. Any type is acceptable.) 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese ½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese 1 good pinch of dried chili flakes ½ cup red wine Start a large pot of water boiling for the pasta. Meantime, saute the onions and garlic in a frying pan until limp and tender. Add the sauce. Rinse the jar out with the wine and add to the mixture. Stir in the chili flakes. Remove from heat and set aside for the moment. Cook the pasta until just cooked yet slightly underdone. The oven baking will complete that. Drain the pasta and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the sauce mixture and thoroughly combine. Toss with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Place in a large, greased baking pan. Top with the Parmesan or Romano cheese and cover with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and hot through, about 30 minutes. Let set five minutes before serving. It is so hearty, you might forget that there isn’t any meat in it. You can, however, add some browned ground beef or sausage if time, circumstances and the budget permit.

Cook's Catalyst -Chapter 4 - Going Italian with your homemade bread

Chapter Four
Going Italian With Your Homemade Bread

Pizza is halfway there if you have a bowl of bread dough on the rise. Press out half the dough on a pizza pan or baking sheet. Use olive oil to keep your hands from sticking. Form a ridge around the edge to contain the fillings. Proceed as usual with your favorite toppings and cheese.

My mother loved to make pizza for us. She never used a set recipe and did most of her creative thinking on her feet. We had some cranky relatives visiting once. One asked for her recipe for pizza and my mother, truthfully, said she really didn’t have one. It was just a bit of this and a dash of that. My mother then overhead the one relative whisper to the other, "Watch her so we can get the recipe." The other one mournfully replied, "I lost her at the onions!".

Since you always know what to order when you go out for pizza, it should be fairly easy to come up with your own special orders at home. The following are a few of my favorites. Add to them, take away but just enjoy the suggestions.
Red & Green Bell Pepper and Onion Pizza needs a liberal spread of diced peppers, and finely chopped onions laid out over the sauce and cheese. It is a bit crisper than regular toppings but is a nice change of pace.

Mushroom Pizza is just that! If fresh mushrooms are on sale, buy six or eight ounces, slice up neatly and spread decoratively over your sauce and cheese. The taste of mushroom goes a long way so you won’t need to go into debt on this one.

Breakfast Sausage Pizza uses ground sausage meat. Before you cover your pizza with it, make sure the meat is browned in a skillet until crumbly.

Pepperoni and Olive Pizza is the most popular at our house. For a less expensive version, buy a stick of pepperoni and slice it yourself. Olives can be diced, cut in half or chopped.

As long as you have dough in your hands and pizza on your mind, you can try a favorite variation and make Pizza Pockets. Take a portion of dough, about half a fist full, roll it out to slightly thicker than 1/4 of an inch. Brush entire surface with beaten egg. On one-half of the dough place a tablespoon or two of tomato sauce, your choice of filling (sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, onion and a generous scoop of mozzarella cheese. Fold in half, sealing carefully. Make an artistic crimp around the edge if you have the time and inclination. Brush top with beaten egg, cut a few vent slits and bake at 375 degrees on a greased baking sheet for approximately 20 minutes or until very golden brown.

As you work with your bread dough, think about it and leave your mind open to other ideas. I often find myself making one thing and wishing I had done it another way as inspiration hits! Write down your ideas. Don’t lose the moment. It may turn out to be a favorite memory.

The Italian theme can be carried out for a simple lunch on the run for the children. Just split and toast English Muffins. Spread a little spaghetti sauce, some grated mozzarella cheese and leftover bits of meatloaf, salami or pepperoni. Slip under the broiler unit of your oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Whenever I make spaghetti for dinner, I always seem to have a dab or two of spaghetti sauce left over. I usually save it in a small plastic dish (old butter tubs work well for this) in the freezer. When I want to make the quicky pizza recipe, I don’t have to open a new jar. The little bit is usually enough to cover the pizzas.

　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

Party Cheese Crackers

This is an easy and fun cracker to make especially during the holiday season. Pair it with a favorite dip and you have an impressive snack to offer your guests . . . made by you. They are zippy crackers with a lot of taste. Party Cheese Crackers ½ pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups) 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 cup all-purpose flour Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until it forms a dough. Form the dough on waxed paper int a long roll and then square off the edges so when you cut them, later, you will have either square or oblong crackers, your choice! Slice the log 1/4 inch thick and arrange the slices one inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake the crackers for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom and around the edges. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool before serving. Ideas . . .You can brush the top of the unbaked crackers with a bit of egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, coarse salt, etc. I’ve added a tablespoon or two of Feta cheese to the mix for a tangy cracker.

Cook's Catalyst - Chapter 3 - How to get a Rise our of your family!

Chapter Three How to Get a Rise Out of Your Family Although my mother didn't bake ordinary bread very often, she did make a lot of sweet yeast breads, coffee cakes and pastries. She always seemed so confident. When I grew up, I never learned to fear the outcome of yeast! Of all the baking I do, I think bread permeates the kitchen with one of the most comforting smells. If there are plump, golden loaves cooling on the counter, there can't be too much wrong with the world. I bake bread at least once a week and still get excited when I see the dough successfully pushing against the plastic-wrapped bowl. Bread has gotten to be such a part of my kitchen world, that I find myself continually thinking of new ways to bake the same old recipe! As a mother, you probably find yourself the first one up in the morning. Take the uncluttered moment to mix up a bowl of bread dough before the crowds descend for their morning sustenance. Bread dough is very forgiving. Mix it and keep punching it down until you have time to bake it. Basic Bread 1 tablespoon dry yeast 1/4 cup cold water 6 cups all-purpose flour, approximately 3 teaspoons salt Water as needed In a large mixing bowl, dissolve one tablespoon of yeast in a quarter cup of straight-from-the tap, cold water. Cold water will not kill yeast. Add about six cups of all-purpose flour and three teaspoons salt. Add enough water to form a dough. The dough should be workable and not too wet. You may end up getting into this process with your hands! Add flour as needed. Mix until the dough can basically hold it's shape. Knead and work the dough on a floured board until smooth. Round it out and place in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled. This can take an hour to three depending on the weather. If it rises up quickly and you can't get to it immediately, push it all down again. It will come back! Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into two. Shape into loaves and place in greased bread pans or form round loaves on greased baking sheets. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cover loaves with plastic wrap (it helps to spray the underside of the wrap with vegetable spray to prevent sticking). Let the loaves rise again until doubled. Slash across the top of each loaf with a sharp knife. Place bread in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour or until deep, golden brown. Remove from pan and cool before slicing. My bread seemed to have a problem one day. Out of four loaves set to rise, one didn't seem to be keeping up with the others. I had divided the dough equally between the pans yet this particular loaf refused to increase in volume. I was still bewildered as I prepared to put them in the oven. It was then I noticed the missing patches of dough on one side. Almost at the same time, my three year old appeared in the kitchen with sticky dough all over his hands, face and hair! Once you master bread baking, you have opened the doors to creativity on a large scale. With the previous recipe you can make bread sticks, rolls, baguettes, fried bread and pizza crust. With a little effort in the morning, you have the means of enhancing your evening meal. Rolls are simple. Divide dough into pieces half the size of your fist. Round them out and place them about two inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Let rise until doubled. Before baking, you can brush them with beaten egg white for shine. A sprinkling of poppy seeds, caraway seeds or sesame seeds earns you credit towards best mom in the world. Bread sticks are just pieces of dough, rolled out about as thin as a pencil. These don't need the second rising. Brush with egg white, if desired, and bake 8 to ten minutes until golden. Arrange these golden sticks in a fancy vase. You will have an edible centerpiece that won't last long. Baguettes are just long, thin loaves of bread. After they have had their second rising, make some diagonal slashes, brush with egg white and bake until brown. They are very nice served with salad or soup. No need to cut, just break off pieces and pass them along. Very continental! Fried Bread is just that! Take small pieces of dough (no second rising required), roll them into thin strips and deep fry until golden. Drain and dust with powdered or granulated sugar. Cinnamon could be a thought, too. Potato Bread always sounds intimidating. The secret to easy potato bread is a little foresight. The next time you boil peeled potatoes, save the water you drain off. Seal it in a container, refrigerate and plan to bake bread the next day. Instead of cold water, use the potato water. If there isn't enough to get your dough started, supplement with more water. Sun-dried Tomato Feta Baguette only needs a recipe of your bread dough, ½ cup sun-dried tomato and 3/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese. Divide your dough into four sections. Roll out one section, spread on one-fourth of the tomato and cheese and roll up into a long baguette. Seal the edges together. Let rise until doubled on a lightly-greased baking sheet. Just before baking, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle generously with poppy seeds. Continue with the rest of the dough. You can usually fit two loaves on a baking sheet. Wheat Bread calls for the substitution of one cup of the all-purpose flour for a cup of whole wheat flour. If you like your wheat bread a bit sweet, you can add a tablespoon or two of honey to your dough. In the off chance you make too much bread and find yourself with staling loaves, there are ways of avoiding waste and still get compliments! You can cut the leftover bread into small cubes, sprinkle with garlic salt, toast in the oven and produce croutons. Again, you can be very imaginative with these little diced pieces of bread. If you have the time, toss them with some melted butter and grated cheese before toasting. Look through your cupboards and think about tastes and utilize some of your dried herbs and spices. If you are in the holiday season, just cut the bread as indicated above, put in a freezer bag and freeze until you need to stuff that turkey at Thanksgiving! And, if you don't happen to have a secret family recipe for bread stuffing, I will let you borrow mine until you do! Bread Stuffing Approximately six cups cubed bread One large onion, chopped finely One cup diced celery 2 sticks butter or margarine, melted 2 teaspoons ground, black pepper 3 teaspoons salt 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning 1 teaspoon each onion powder and garlic powder Fresh or canned chicken or turkey broth to moisten bread Gently simmer the onion in the butter or margarine until tender. Add the diced celery and remove from stove. In a large bowl, combine the bread and spices and toss thoroughly. Add the melted butter, onion and celery mixture and mix well. Add enough broth to moisten the bread without letting it become soggy. Pack into a well-greased baking dish and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until crusty on top and well-browned. So, it is not anywhere near Thanksgiving or Christmas and you still don't want to waste leftover bread. There is yet another remedy to this kitchen crisis! Fruit Bread Pudding Approximately 4 cups cubed bread 1 cup finely chopped apple 1 small package frozen blueberries 3 well-beaten eggs ½ cup packed, brown sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla ½ cup fresh orange juice Juice and zest of one lemon 1/4 cup brandy (optional - you can use apple juice) 1 teaspoon cinnamon Place bread in large mixing bowl, add everything and combine well. Mixture should be very moist but not waterlogged. Add more juice, if necessary. Arrange in a buttered baking dish and bake approximately 30 minutes until golden. Tastes good hot, warm or cold. Ice cream, whipped cream, or just a dribble of heavy cream can only upgrade your creation. Bread pudding can also be made with peaches, other berries and even canned pineapple, and such. You have to take a moment to consider your family's tastes, the state of your budget, and your creative barometer for the day.

The Cook's Catalyst - Chapter 2

Chapter Two The Cook's Catalyst Keeping the Sugar Plums Dancing All Year Long Our earliest memories are probably about food! Whenever you reflect back on a childhood moment, or mentally taste a favorite meal your mother made, grab the moment. Take the memory one step further and make it a part of your next meal! Serve it with a smile and it’s story. I always remember the letdown after the Christmas holidays. The tree is by the curb, the tinsel is vacuumed up and the weather is gloomy. School begins again soon and you know it will include trudging through mud puddles and dodging rain. You don’t even want to think about homework! My mother made the last day of Christmas vacation special. As soon as the cold began to creep in under the doors, she would turn on the oven and start baking. My favorite treat was her simple sugar cookies. She would cheer up my day by making them bigger than usual, dusting them with sugar before popping them into the oven. She then let me have them instead of lunch. I felt positively decadent! She would set up a tray with a plate of still warm cookies and a mug of hot chocolate. I would watch the noon time cartoons, chasing away the blues with every munch and sip. The ingredients were simple. The love made them special. Stir, Drop and Bake Sugar Cookies 2 eggs 2/3 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat eggs until foamy; stir in oil, vanilla, and sugar. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture. Combine until smooth. Drop by teaspoonsful about two inches apart on very lightly greased cookie sheet. Dough should be rather soft. Sprinkle a bit of sugar on each cookie before baking. Colored sugar is fun if it is on hand. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes about two dozen cookies. Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. This is also a good beginner recipe for children who want to help in the kitchen. I speak from experience, both as a parent and as a child.

Sharing my book . . . Chapter 1 - Searching for Home at Home!

I wrote a basic cookbook a few years ago to help out a friend. My daughters have since made copies for themselves and my son plans to take one with him when he is ready to head out on his own. It is a very simple one that leaves plenty of room for self-expression. I thought I'd share it to help the ones who are just learning to cook and provide some ideas/inspiration to others who might be bored with the job of cooking/baking.

Chapter 1
The Cook's Catalyst
Searching for Home at Home!
by Barbara Barthelette

A popular misconception about stay-at-home mothers is that they have all the time in the world. They don’t go to work. They have of hours to devote to running their households successfully, easily and creatively. I don’t think so! When you stay at home, work usually comes to you.

If you stay at home, you want it to be comfortable and, well . . . homey. Although cleanliness, organization and dusted bookshelves can go a long way to bringing this about, the results of your time in the kitchen are what is most remembered by your husband and children. How often does your husband come home and exclaim, "You mopped and waxed the floor! Good job. It looks great!" And when was the last time you children proudly took their friends to see the spotless bathroom cleaned by their mom? After a long day, the good smells emanating from the kitchen are more likely to draw the family together. Dinner together is important. It is a time to be together in prayer as we thank God for the blessings bestowed upon us. It is a sharing experience needed to catch up on each other’s day. It is the moment when your efforts in the kitchen will reflect the love you put into preparing the evening meal.

Dinner was cooking and the aroma of food was wafting through the house. My daughter, Julianna, followed her nose to the kitchen where I found her busily peeking into various pots and pans that were bubbling away on the stove. When I asked her what she was doing, she said, "I just wanted to see what the smells looked like."!

Breakfast and lunch are important, however, these meals are usually done on the run. Dad has to get to work. Mom has to get things ready for the school day. Children have to get ready for school. We eat as healthily as possible and take off quickly. We need the evening meal to rejoin the scattered day and resume life as a family.

In order to create the welcoming good smells from your kitchen, a certain amount of inspiration is required. After a day of washing, cleaning, shopping, and teaching, you often find yourself short on inventiveness as the clock determinedly ticks towards that final meal of the day. You send up a prayer and tentatively look in the freezer or refrigerator. You wish you had spent some time during the day at least trying to ignite some creativity. Alas, the meat just sits there awaiting your bidding. The potatoes remain ordinary potatoes. And forget about the vegetables. What are the chances of them being eaten anyway?

Learning to be creative with the mundane is attainable. The trick is to begin with one aspect of dinner at a time. You need to pick a portion and day dream about how you would like it to look, taste and smell. You have to incorporate one new idea for your menu at a time. If you grab a nice, big, fat cookbook, select three or four likely recipes and try to make them for that one mealtime, you could be headed for trouble. A creative hodgepodge is sometimes worse than a plain plate of pasta and canned sauce. Try for a battle and eventually you will win the war.

A friend asked me once if I would just sit down with her and talk cooking and baking with her. Her request was the germ of the idea for this book. We all would like to have a friend around to interact with on our thoughts, ideas and needs in becoming better mothers. We want the reassurance that we are not alone and we need the companionship even if only in snatched conversations on the run, by telephone or . . . by book! We like to share our memories and relate the successes (or failures!) that produce memories.





　

　

Christmas Cookie Recipes - lots of them!

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/easy-christmas-cookie-recipes/?trkid=NL-13H-111214

Chocolate Cranberry Bars

Chocolate Cranberry Bars 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 3/4 cup butter, cubed roughly 1 cup regular oatmeal 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup fresh orange juice zest of one orange 2/3 cup packed brown sugar 2 cups fresh cranberries 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Dash of ground cloves and nutmeg 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips Preheat over to 350 degrees. Combine flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl and mix to form fine crumbs. Add oatmeal and mix. Put one cup of crumb mixture aside and press the rest into a crust in a parchment-lined 13x9x2 baking pan. You can also use two smaller pans if necessary. Bake crust in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. While the crust is having a preliminary baking, combine the orange juice, zest, andcranberries in a cooking pot. Bring to a boil, reduce, and stir occasionally until the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the spices. Melt the chocolate chips until smooth. Spread the melted chocolate over the oatmeal crust. Layer the cooked cranberries over the chocolate. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs over the cranberries. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely in the baking pan on a cooling rack. Cut into squares and serve. These are good as a bar cookie or you can dress them up for a dessert with whipped cream. Note: If you have whole, frozen cranberries, they will work equally well as you are basically cooking them down to a thickened filling for the cookies.

Easy Way to Peanut Butter Fudge

Peanut Butter Fudge 1 cup confectioners' sugar 1 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 6 tablespoons butter 3/4 cup evaporated milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon orange extract* 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup marshmallow creme Sift the confectioners' sugar into a large bowl; set aside. Grease a 9-inch square pan; line with plastic wrap. Combine brown and granulated sugars in a medium saucepan with the butter and milk. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until blended and butter is melted. Bring to a full boil; continue boiling, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Quickly stir in the vanilla, orange extract, peanut butter, and marshmallow creme; pour over the confectioners' sugar and stir to mix well. Spoon into the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap, pat down to level out and chill until firm. Cut into squares when firm. If the fudge is difficult to cut, let it stand at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting. *I think a touch of orange really brings out the flavor of peanut butter. You can skip it if it isn't to your liking.

Sharing a simple recipe for yellow cake.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/golden-vanilla-cake-recipe

Interesting . . .

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/baked-chips-as-bad-or-worse-than-fried/ Once again, we have to rethink our value system when it comes to providing for our families. Just because the packaging claims it is better for you, doesn't always mean it is better for you. If I'm going to splurge and enjoy potato chips, I'll stick to the old-fashioned bad ones!

Cooking Help for the Holidays . . .

What is almost always on sale somewhere and appears on your dinner table more often than you would like to think about? Chicken! The price is right but it seems to be such a limiting bird. No matter how you fry it, you still end up with chicken. If you notice this, it is a good bet that your family does, too. You shouldn't let chicken make you feel cooped up. It can safely appear at your table three times a week and still be welcomed. We had a lot of chicken when I was growing up. I remember one time, my mother had three, whole chickens to deal with for a company dinner. She was a bit harried. As a twelve year old, I probably wasn't ideal help. The chickens were on the counter awaiting culinary direction. My mother left the room to tend to other matters. When she returned, I was gone but the three, plump birds had formed a trio. Before I left, I had seated them closely, side by side on the edge of the counter and chummily arranged their wings around each other. My stressed mother got through the evening with a chuckle every time she thought about it. Chicken is versatile. And your oven (especially on those cold, overcast days) can take the drudgery out of cooking it. With a little forethought, you can present a platter of chicken at the dinner table that will eliminate the need for putting away leftovers. The following are general ideas. You are the only one who knows how much is needed by your family. As you try each suggestion, you will soon be incorporating the ideas into your mainstream kitchen life. The ideas will soon be a part of your cooking, not just words of direction in a book. Fried Chicken in the Oven takes the grease splatters out of your life! You will need two or more sticks of butter or margarine, melted. And one or more cut up chickens, depending on the size of your family. Cutting it up yourself saves money especially when you hit those under eighty cents a pound sales. Mix approximately two cups all-purpose flour blended with the following: salt and pepper to tastes, garlic salt, half-sharp paprika and any other seasoning in your cupboard you like or that sounds interesting. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Dip each piece of chicken into the melted butter or margarine, coat with seasoned flour and arrange the pieces on a baking pan or sheet (with sides!). Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until chicken is golden, crispy and fork tender. Drain excess fat, arrange on platter and serve. It takes about ten minutes to prepare, tastes like fried and avoids the mess of frying. There is something about coming into the kitchen and smelling chicken cooking. My family would probably welcome oven baked chicken five times a week. Sometimes the budget dictates chicken more than once a week! Once you realize the oven can do your work and save you time, there are other ways to cook that bird! Ordinary Oven Chicken needs cut up chicken, one-half cup olive oil or vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange chicken in a baking pan. Brush with oil and liberally pepper and conservatively salt the chicken. Bake for about 20 minutes and brush with oil again. Continue until golden, the skin is crisp and it is tender, approximately 25 minutes more. Serve hot, warm or cold. Lemon Oven Chicken calls for juice of two lemons (limes are an interesting change), 1/4 cup (or more) olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, paprika, dash of chili powder, if desired. Combine all the ingredients and bake chicken as outlined in previous recipe. Barbequed Chicken in the Oven is good for days when you don't want to light charcoal! All you need for this one is a bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce. You will be surprised to see the variety available at the supermarket today. Pick out something different but that still sounds appealing to your family. Proceed as instructed in Ordinary Oven Chicken. Don't brush on the sauce until after the chicken has been in the oven twenty minutes. Great served hot and very good the next day for a cold picnic lunch.

Pie Ideas!

http://allrecipes.com/features/baking/pies.aspx Everything you need to know about making delicious pies . . . and then, some!

Mint Cookies - Fast and Easy!

Mint and chocolate are a favorite combination of mine. This is a great surprise cookie! Mint Cookies 1 chocolate cake mix 2 large eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil Chocolate covered peppermint patties cut in half. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, blend together the cake mix, eggs, and oil until you have a workable dough. Pinch off a walnut-sized piece of dough and cover it around half a peppermint patty making sure you seal it completely. Place on a parchment-covered baking sheet or use vegetable oil spray. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until set. Let cool on the pan a moment before removing to the cooling rack. Idea . . . Can't find chocolate covered peppermint patties? You can use several mint-flavored chocolate chips, small peanut butter cups (for an entirely different flavor), other types of chocolate mint candy . . .

Sharing a link for a candy recipe!

Another interesting recipe link from Taste of Home magazine. I like the chocolate/mint combination and am already thinking about the decoration sugars, etc., that I can roll these in for presentation. Fortunately, I have a small-sized cookie scoop otherwise, from past experience, I will start off with a nicely-sized truffle and by the time I get to the end, they are verging on golfball size! http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Easy-Mint-Chocolate-Truffles?pmcode=ILKDV05T&_mid=2316528&_rid=2316528.558202.435259

Making Fudge for Family and Gifts!

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/holidays-and-events/christmas/candy/fudge/top.aspx Allrecipes always has an abundance of choices when you want a recipe. Their collection of fudge recipes is no exception. I usually treat myself to a day of candy making for Christmas and will be studying this link carefully. Thought I'd share!

Breakfast Snack Cookies . . .

Breakfast Snack Cookies
1 cup shortening
1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups uncooked oatmeal
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tart apple, finely grated
1/2 cup finely grated carrot
1/4 cup flake coconut
1/2 chopped peanuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine shortening, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat into they are well blended. Beat in the eggs. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, vanilla, and lemon zest. Mix to combine. Add in the oatmeal, cranberries, apple, carrot, coconut, and peanuts.

Drop by tablespoonfuls on a parchment-lined or vegetable oil sprayed baking sheet

Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until browned around the edges. Let them sit on the baking sheet when they come from the oven for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Cookie baking help and ideas . . .

http://www.food.com/holiday-entertaining/cookies/package?nl=FCW_112911_featlink5&sni_mid=20942&sni_rid=20942.311.869067 Great link for a multitude of Yuletide goodies! I got hungry just reading it and am busy making notes on which ones I may be including in my tried and true favorites.

Easy Pork Chop Meal

I like meals that taste good but go together quickly when I have many other things that need attention in the household. You can't get any easier than this suggestion and you can also be creative with it. 4-6 thick bone-in pork chops 1 packet of your favorite dried soup mix like onion, herb & garlic, etc. 2-3 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup hot water 1/4 cup white wine Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together your choice of soup mix with the oil. Generously brush both sides of the chops with the mixture. Bake pork chops in preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes or until they are no longer pink inside. Remove the meat to a serving platter and keep warm. Add the hot water and wine to the baking pan and stir. Make sure you scrape up the brown bits from the sides and bottom of the pan. Serve the sauce over the pork chops. Rice goes great with this meal especially with the sauce.

Saved by the Crock Pot . . .

We had to be out of the house the entire day, yesterday. I knew we would come home tired and hungry and I wouldn't feel exactly thrilled to start cooking dinner. A few weeks ago, the store had boneless pork roasts on sale and I happened to have a nice chunk in the freezer. Before we left the house, I put the pork in the crock pot, sprinkled it liberally with salt, pepper, onion, and garlic powder, turned it on a long, low cooking timer . . . and took off. When we got home, the pork was tender and all I had to do was make rice and a vegetable.

Just thought I'd share that as even if the meat is frozen, you can still get a good meal with some patience and a slow cooker! I didn't add any vegetables or water. The roast, itself, came up with a good amount of great broth which is slated for soup later this week.

My family was happy to have a hot meal on time even after a busy day. I was glad we didn't have to resort to fast food and thrilled there is enough meat leftover to make oven-bake burritos today and soup later in the week.

Quick Soup for a Busy Day . . .

This is my go-to recipe when the day has not gone as scheduled and the pot roast is still a rock in the freezer and people will be demanding food within the hour. It is super-simple and lends itself to your own touches and variations. Quick Soup 4 20-ounce cans of chicken broth 1/4 cup white wine 16 ounces of frozen mixed vegetables 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon dried onion 1/2 teaspoon dried Basil 1 teaspoon dried Oregano Salt and Pepper to taste 16 ounces dried mini ravioli with cheese filling* Bring all the ingredients except the ravioli to a boil, add the dried ravioli and simmer according to directions on the package or until tender. Grate some Parmesan or Romano over each bowl and serve. If you have bread/rolls on hand, you will have it made. Salad fixings, too? You are, indeed, the cook to watch! *You can usually find the packages of dried ravioli in the pasta section of the store. If you have a frozen variety available, that works, too, only adjust the cooking time as it will heat through faster. Ideas . . . If you have some leftover chicken or even canned chicken, you can add that to the soup. Barley is excellent in the soup but you will have to simmer it longer before adding the ravioli. My family likes rice and the ravioli in their soup. This also works great with beef broth only use red instead of white wine.

Giant Snickerdoodles - an answer to gift giving?

This is another favorite Snickerdoodle recipe that makes the whole house smell wonderful as they bake and the cinnamon scents the air. It is a good recipe for gift giving as you can stack them four or five high, wrap in clear bags, and complete with a ribbon for little 'think of you' gifts. There are always people we feel we should have some sort of gift for them on Christmas yet don't really know them well enough to start a gift-giving tradition. A packet of fresh cookies tells them you are thinking of them kindly and there isn't any 'now I have to give them a gift' reaction. It is also a way to keep our Christmas budget in check yet let people know you care.

Giant Snickerdoodles 3 cups sugar 1 cup softened butter 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 eggs 5 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons sugar 4 teaspoons cinnamon Dash of ground cloves Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, blending well. Add flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Combine the 4 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Measure out 1/4 cups of dough and form into balls. Roll balls in cinnamon/sugar mixture and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until set. Remove immediately from baking sheets onto a cooling rack. Makes approximately 3 ½ dozen big cookies. Can be made smaller but be sure to adjust baking time.

Turkey leftovers, anyone?

If you are blessed, you have leftovers from your Thanksgiving turkey. Some people don't feel that way but turkey can provide a number of great meals just from what was left from the feast the day before. Our turkey was over 20 pounds so we have three freezer bags of turkey carcass to boil down into broth. The bits of meat still clinging to the bones provide enough turkey to fill out the soup along with added vegetables. Add some rice or noodles and you have a very inexpensive meal. We also saved a good amount of meat which I plan to chop and turn into turkey salad sandwiches. All you need is the turkey, a bit of mayo or cream salad dressing, pickle relish, mustard, and a freshly-baked roll to encase the creation. This will work with ham or turkey although you might want to cut the richness of the ham with some chopped celery in the sandwich mix. Still have leftover meat? Heat it up with a can of undiluted cream of mushroom soup and serve it with mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta. My son like to add a sprinkling of chili flakes for some spicy sparkle. Got leftover gravy? Combine it with bits of meat, lots of mixed frozen vegetables and put it in a pie shell. You can save time by buying the premade crusts from the freezer section of the store. You can make your own pot pies. My family enjoys seeing what I come up with when we have leftovers. My husband has been known to ask, "So, how many meals did you cannibalize to create this dish?" If you think about it, we served ten people for dinner on Thanksgiving with three or them going back for thirds. That makes 16 meals. I can come up with three batches of soup from the leftover bones, etc., which should provide four to six meals. Making turkey salad sandwiches will provide six lunches. I have enough to make a pot pie for four people. I might even scrape enough together to make a creamed turkey over rice for another four dinners. I only paid $10 for the turkey, in the first place. I think I stretched the budget pretty well.

So appropriate when cooking on a budget . . .

Frugality without creativity is deprivation. - Amy Dacyczyn

Easy Treat Suggestion . . .

Of late, I've seen a lot of these special pretzel treats being offered for sale even at bakeries! Upon reflections, I can't see spending two dollars or more for a chocolate-dipped pretzel stick so thought I'd offer some suggestions for making them ourselves. Ingredients: Look for those 6-8" pretzel sticks in the snack section of the chip/snack aisle of the store. They are about as thick around as your finger. Chocolate chips White Chocolate chips Finely chopped nuts Crushed peppermint candy Colorful cake decorations Crushed cookie crumbs Carefully melt the white chocolate chips and dip each pretzel stick to cover a bit more than half the stick. Place on a piece of waxed paper to harden. When the chocolate is set, carefully melt the dark chocolate chips and redip the pretzel sticks leaving a bit of an edges so you can see the white chocolate underneath. Have your toppings ready and immediately roll each stick in the nuts or candy of your choice and set aside to reharden, again. They would make a nice centerpiece on the table. You can put them upright in a pretty vase or jar and your guests could help themselves as you relax with a cup of coffe after dinner. The taste of the salt on the pretzel sticks and the sweet of the chocolate makes a unique and tasty contrast.

Chicken Soup Warm Up in a Short Time . . .

Relatively Fast and Easy Chicken Soup Several chicken legs, thighs, necks, etc. 1 chopped onion 10 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 cans of canned chicken broth 2 cups water 2 cup frozen, mixed vegetables Your choice of pasta In a bit of olive oil, really brown the chicken pieces until they have a nice, dark brown skin. Add the onion and garlic and stir to get them cooking. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover, and simmer about an hour or until the chicken is tender. Drain the broth into another pot. Shred the chicken from the bones and add back to the broth. Taste the broth for salt and add more, if necessary. Bring to a simmer and add 2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables and a teaspoon of poultry seasoning. Bring back to a boil and add your pasta of choice. Cook until the pasta is just tender and serve.

Just a hint . . .

The tradition, when I was growing up, was to stuff the Thanksgiving turkey with whatever stuffing you were having. Bad idea . . . Although we never got sick, there is a good chance that you could get sick as several things could occur. The turkey might not be as defrosted as you though so the stuffing against the all-too cold inside is a perfect breeding ground for possible germs/bacteria. By the time the stuffing is adequately and safely heated through inside the turkey, your turkey will probably be overcooked and dry. Since I started cooking my own family dinners, I've made extra stuffing (as it usually goes first!) and packing it in a large, flat (one of those oblong baking dishes works well) baking dish and bake my stuffing. This way you get a crispy top, tender, flavorful inside, and no problems with any contamination. You can always enhance the stuffing flavor with some drippings from the roasting turkey.

Someone on the news, today, even suggested baking the stuffing in portion sizes in a muffin tin. I haven't tried that but it sounds great, especiall when you have a crowd for dinner.

Instead of putting your stuffing in the turkey, put an onion, an apple, whole garlic cloves, etc. in the cavity to provide moisture during cooking and a nice aroma. Besides, if you make lots of extra stuffing, you will have leftovers, and you can make turkey soup with stuffing dumplings!

Oh, and you can make the stuffing the day before and keep in the refrigerator until time to bake it. Same with cranberry sauce, if you make your own. Prepare it the day before and you will insure that it will be cold, set, and ready when the turkey comes out of the oven.

I even make my turkey gravy the day before. I usually buy some turkey wings or a leg and use that for my basic broth for the gravy. While I'm heating it up for dinner, I get a few spoonfuls of the turkey drippings to add more flavor to it.

Brownie Drops

Brownie Drops 1/2 cup butter 3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar 3 large eggs 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee powder 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts Melt the butter and chocolate together over a gentle heat and stir often to avoid burning. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla and coffee powder. Fold in the flour thoroughly and then the nuts. Refrigerate the dough for 2-4 hours or even overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls on vegetable oil sprayed baking sheets or baking sheets linee with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes our until cookies spring back when touched. Remove to a cooling rack. Ideas . . . A drizzle of chocolate icing will make them more festive.

Thanksgiving help with the turkey - Apple Nut Cranberry Stuffing

Apple Nut Cranberry Stuffing 6 cups bread, cubed ½ cup chopped onion ½ cup butter, melted 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning 3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped ½ cup raisins ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans 2 peeled apples, coarsely chopped ½ cup chopped celery 1 ½ tsp. salt ½ tsp. pepper 1 cup chicken or turkey broth Cook the butter with the onions until onions are tender. Put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and thoroughly combine. Add enough of the broth to moisten the bread cubes. You might need a more than called. It’s hard to ruin stuffing! Either stuff you turkey with this stuffing or place in a greased baking dish and bake until brown on top. Use a sturdy, quality bread for the stuffing as the white sandwich bread tends to turn into slush. Sour dough works well or a crusty loaf or two from the day-old bakery counter. The bread should be a bit dry and stale so why spend money on fresh?

Fettuccine Alfredo - less expensive than going out for this!

My Version of Fettuccine Alfredo 16 ounces pasta noodles (spaghetti works well, but fettuccine noodles hold the sauce better!) 1 cup heavy cream (milk works if you are watching budget and calories) 1 stick butter 3/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese, dusted with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley Cook your choice of pasta until just done. You don't want a mushy presentation here! Drain the pasta and place back in the pot. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in another pot. Add the milk gradually and bring to a simmer. Add the flour-dusted cheese and stir constantly until it form a lightly thickened sauce. Add the pepper and onion to the cheese sauce, toss with the cooked pasta, arrange on a serving platter and sprinkle with the parsley. You can easily increase or decrease this recipe depending on how many you are serving and whether this is a side dish or a course in itself. Additional grated cheese on the side as well as pepper can only improve each person's portions according to individual tastes. Chili flakes are an interesting sprinkle on the hot pasta.

Many Way Butter Cookies

Here is a great recipe for beginner bakers or those who want to get two kinds of cookies ready in a hurry. This recipe will make two kinds of cookies and the addition measurements following the basic recipe are set for that. If you have the time and mixer capabilities, you can double the recipe and make four very different cookies in one baking session. 　 Many Way Butter Cookies4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 ½ cups butter; softened 2 cup granulated sugar 2 egg ½ cup cream 2 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, cream, and vanilla, beating well. Fold in the dry ingredients until well combined. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on to a vegetable oil sprayed baking sheet or, preferably, use parchment paper for really excellent results. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes. Divide your dough in half and chose two of the following. This one recipe makes many cookies, many different kinds of cookies! Candy Cookies - Add in ½ cup finely diced, colorful spice gumdrops and ½ cup chopped walnuts to the dough. Citrus Almond Cookies - Blend in ½ cup toasted, chopped almonds, 1 teaspoon orange zest, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Pecan Orange Cookies - Add ½ cup toasted, chopped pecans, 1 tablespoon orange zest, and 1 teaspoon orange extract. Coconut Nut Cookies - Blend in 1 cup toasted coconut and ½ cup chopped walnuts. Chocolate Date Cookies - Add ½ cup finely chopped dates, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, and 1/4 cup tiny chocolate chips. Peanut Chip Cookies - Add ½ cup dry-roasted peanuts and ½ cup tiny chocolate chips. White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies - Add ½ cup white chocolate chips and 1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries. White Mint Cookies - Add ½ cup white chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon peppermint extract. Remember, any cookie goes up a notch with a drizzle of icing. The basic icing recipe is a cup of powdered sugar, extract of choice, and just enough milk or cream to make a icing. You can often find squeeze bottles with a narrow tip in the speciality baking sections for easy drizzling. You fill the bottle with the icing, place the cookies out on waxed paper, and decoratively apply the icing. Don’t forget the food color and sprinkles for festive presentation.

Hmmm . . . don't know about that . . .

I don't believe in dining on an empty stomach. - W.C. Fields

Candy Bar Fudge

Just found this recipe by Rachel Ray. I like a great many of her recipes because she makes good food easy to do. This one is great as it leaves you open to all sorts of substitutions in order to make each batch of this easy fudge really your own recipe! Candy Bar Fudge (http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/fast-recipes/candy-bar-fudge) Ingredients 1 ½ cups crushed candy bar (like Butterfinger) 2 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 can (14 oz.) condensed milk ½ cup peanuts Directions: Line 8-inch square pan with parchment, leaving overhang; sprinkle with 1/2 cup candy. Melt chips in condensed milk over low heat. Add nuts and candy. Pour into pan; chill. Cut into squares. Ideas . . . I’m just imagining different ways to make this recipe with using peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, dried fruit, various types of nuts, etc.