Tag Archives: recipes

Chili con Carne

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Chili con Carne

This hearty chili has just the right level of spice to keep you warm on a cold winter day.

Chili Con Carne

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 teaspoon unsweetened baking cocoa

1/2 teaspoon red pepper sauce

2 cups diced tomatoes (from 28-oz can), undrained

1 can (19 oz) red kidney beans, undrained

  •  1 In 3-quart saucepan, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium-high heat about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain.
  • 2 Stir in remaining ingredients except beans. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
  • 3 Stir in beans. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until desired thickness.

Serves – 4

Halloween Cat Cookies

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What do candy corn and red hots have in common?

Well, when you strategically placed them on a brown cookie they become a scary Halloween cat cookie!

Black Cat Cookies Recipe

Halloween Cat Cookie

Spooky Goodness

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 24 wooden craft or Popsicle sticks
  • 48 candy corn candies
  • 24 red-hot candies

Directions

  • In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Roll dough into 1-1/2-in. balls. Place 3 in. apart on lightly greased baking sheets.
  • Insert a wooden stick into each cookie. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar. Pinch top of cookie to form ears. For whiskers, press a fork twice into each cookie. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set. Remove from the oven; immediately press on candy corn for eyes and red-hots for noses. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 2 dozen.

ENJOY!

 

Angel Biscuits

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Did you know that September is National Biscuit Month?   Don’t feel bad, I didn’t either until I was searching the internet for ideas to blog about.

My mother has a recipe that she swears by:  Angel Biscuits.  I found the recipe on the Taste of Home website.  I hope you enjoy them as much as my mother does.

Angel Biscuits Recipe

Prep: 20 min. + rising Bake: 10 min.

Ingredients

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (110° – 115°)

2 cups warm buttermilk (110° – 115°)

5 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup shortening

Melted butter

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in the buttermilk; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in yeast mixture.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 3-4 times. Roll into a 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 1-1/2 hours.

Bake at 450° for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Lightly brush tops with melted butter. Serve warm. 

Yield: 30 Servings

Additional notes from my mother:  You mix everything together. Place the biscuit dough in the refrigerator (stores up to 2 weeks).  When you’re ready to make some biscuits, take out what you want and leave the rest in the refrigerator; roll out and shape into biscuits.
Bake at 375 for about 15 to 20 minutes (or until browned on top).
~~~~~~
To make them “light as angels”, cover the unbaked biscuits and let them rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until puffy. Bake as directed.
Enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

Better Breakfast Month

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September is Better Breakfast Month.   I have always heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  It makes sense, after fasting all night, breakfast can kick-start your energy level.  This breakfast burrito is easy and filling.  Try experimenting with different ingredients for a whole new culinary breakfast experience.  ENJOY!

Breakfast Burrito

    Vegetable spray

    1 medium red bell pepper – seeded and diced

    4 medium button mushrooms – sliced

    2 scallions — chopped

    1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen and thawed

    2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

    1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

    1/2 teaspoon black pepper

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    2 eggs beaten

    1/4 cup shredded low-fat provolone or Swiss cheese

    2 10 inch flour tortillas

 

 Heat a lightly sprayed nonstick skillet.  Add the pepper, mushrooms, and

scallions and saute for 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir in the corn and seasonings

and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.  Whisk in the eggs and cook over medium

heat, stirring frequently.  When the eggs are completely cooked (fluffy,

not brown), remove from the heat and fold in the cheese.

Warm the tortillas over a burner or pan and then place on 2 plates.  Spoon

the egg mixture into the center of each tortilla, forming logs.  Roll the

tortilla around the mixture and serve with salsa!

 

  Makes 2 servings

 





 


 






 


 


 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Peachy Keen Bars

			
						

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While perusing the internet for something yummy to bake, I came across the website Just A Pinch and found a recipe for Peachy Keen Bars.  This makes a light, refreshing dessert; perfect for hot days.


Peachy Keen Bars






1 pkg
dry cake mix-white, yellow or french vanilla




1/3 c
butter, room temperature




2 lg
eggs, divided




29 oz
can light peach slices, drained




8 oz
cream cheese, room temperature




1/3 c
sugar




1 tsp
pure vanilla extract






Directions




1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Spray a 9×13” pan with nonstick cooking spray.






2.  In a large bowl combine cake mix, butter and 1 egg; mix with fork just until crumbly.


Set aside 1 ½ c. crumbs for topping.






3. Press the remaining crumbs on bottom of prepared pan; Bake 10 minutes






4. Cut peach slices into 1” pieces; Spoon onto partially-baked crust.






5.  In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, 1 egg and vanilla extract; beat with


 mixer until creamy.


Spread over top of peaches.






6. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs; Bake 30 minutes.






7. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.


Store leftovers in refrigerator.


Serves 12.




 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Kids in the Kitchen

			
						

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Honestly, I have tried to teach my child how to cook many times over the years.  When he was young we included him in preparing meals.  When he was 12 or 13 I insisted that he help prepare a dinner meal once a week.  Of course none of this happened without a lot of grumbling and “why do I have to do this”.  Now at age 19 and on his way to college he has decided that he needs to know how to cook.


True to his generation’s comfort with electronics he searched the internet for recipes that looked good.  His choice of websites was allrecipes.com.  Allrecipes.com has over 40000 recipes, menus, meal ideas and tips submitted by home cooks.  You can search recipes by meal, ingredient or lifestyle.  If you want to watch someone make the recipe there are videos to watch.  What I like about this site is that you can change the number of servings needed and calculate the amount of ingredients needed.  You can print the recipe, save it to your previously  created recipe box or create a shopping list.


The recipe of choice for this young cook was Simple Chicken Parmesan.  It received two thumbs up from his proud mom.




Servings


Original Recipe Yield 4 servings


 Ingredients






    

  • 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
    • 

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 

  • 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (quality varies dramatically; I prefer Redpack, Progresso and Muir Glen brands)
    • 

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
    • 

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 

  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
    • 

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
    • 

  • 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), halved crosswise
    • 

  • 1 large egg
    • 

  • 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
    • 

  • 8 ounces spaghetti or linguine
    • 

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • 

  • 1/2 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
    • 

  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for passing at the table
    • 





 Directions




    

  1. In a large saucepan, heat garlic and 2 Tbs. oil over medium-high heat until garlic starts to sizzle. Stir in tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a simmer; simmer until sauce thickens a bit and flavors meld, 10 to 12 minutes. Cover and keep warm. (Remember, this makes twice the amount of sauce you need, so put aside half for another meal.)
    2. 

  2. Put chicken pieces between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound, using your fists or a heavy pan, until the cutlets are about 1/4-inch thick.
    3. 

  3. Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large soup kettle.
    4. 

  4. In a pie pan, beat egg until well-blended. In another pie pan, mix bread crumbs and more black pepper. Preheat broiler.
    5. 

  5. Working one cutlet at a time, dip both sides of each in beaten egg, then in bread crumbs. Put cutlets on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet (this step helps breading stay put).
    6. 

  6. Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch skillet. When oil starts to shimmer, add cutlets and saute until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes total. Wash and dry the wire rack and return to cookie sheet. As the cutlets saute, cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions.
    7. 

  7. Transfer cutlets to clean wire rack over cookie sheet. Top each with a portion of the cheeses. Broil cutlets, 4 to 5 inches from heat source, until cheese melts and is spotty brown.
    8. 

  8. Drain pasta. Put a cutlet and a portion of pasta on each of 4 plates. Spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of sauce over part of each cutlet, then sauce the pasta as desired. Serve with extra Parmesan.
    9. 





 Be sure to check out CCPL’s catalog for cookbooks for kids.


 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Happy National Ice Cream Day!

			
						

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This summer, get the scoop on National Ice Cream Day!


It’s the one day set aside to honor everything cool, sweet and creamy, and celebrated every year in July.


It was President Ronald Reagan who in 1984 officially declared July as National Ice Cream Month, and established National Ice Cream Day as the third Sunday in July.


This year, join millions of American who will be celebrating National Ice Cream Day on Sunday, July 15, 2012 — in honor of the popular dessert that’s guaranteed to lift you up and cool you down on any hot summer day ….


Ice cream fun facts


Fact is, the U.S. nationally enjoys a whopping 48 pints of ice cream per person every year on average, making Americans the No. 1 ice cream consumers worldwide. Coming in No. 2? New Zealand.


The top five ice cream flavors enjoyed by Americans? That would be vanilla at 27.8%, followed by chocolate (14.3%), strawberry (3.3%), chocolate chip (3.3%) and butter pecan (2.8%).


Here are more ice-cream facts!


• It wasn’t until Italian explorer Marco Polo returned from the Far East (with a recipe that mostly resembled sherbet) that Europeans got their first taste of what we now know as ice cream.


• From Italy, ice cream made its way across Europe and, eventually, to colonial America where official records show that President George Washington allocated a total of $200 on ice cream purchases during the hot summer of 1790.


• In the late 19th century, America’s soda shops bowed to pressure from local churches who demanded that the newly-popular “ice cream soda” not be served on Sundays. The simple solution? Remove the soda from the recipe which led to a new invention called (you guessed it) the ice cream sundae.


• During the St. Louis World Fair in 1904, a vendor ran out of ice cream cups to serve visitors. He quickly enlisted the help of a neighboring vendor who provided rolled-up waffle cones in which to serve the sweet treat ….and the ice cream cone was born!


Below is my favorite vanilla home-made ice cream recipe: I make it often using the ice cream attachment on my  mixer. Philadelphia Style homemade ice cream contains no eggs.


 


Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, Philadelphia-Style


3 cups heavy cream, or 2 cups heavy cream and 1 cup whole milk-add 1 Cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 TBL pure vanilla extract


Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl, and then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.


Delicious Homemade ice cream sandwiches


Chocolate Supermoist cake mix


You Will Need: 1-1/3 cups water, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 3 eggs. 


    

  • Heat up your waffle iron and mix the Chocolate cake mix according the directions.
    • 

  • Pour the cake mix batter onto the waffle iron.  Check your manual for amounts and times.  Mine used about 1/4 cup of batter per waffle and cooked for about 3 minutes.
    • 

  • Put the finished waffles onto a cooling rack to cool, add vanilla ice-cream to the top of one waffle then top with additional waffle and enjoy.
    • 


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Avocado-Bean Wraps

			
						

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In my quest to healthy eating I came across a recipe for Avocado-Bean Wraps.  I love avocados and wraps so I had to try it.   This wrap is easy to make and delicious.  I will definitely be making this again.





Directions


    

  • 2 ripe avocados
    • 

  • 1 cup fresh or jarred salsa
    • 

  • 2 tsp oil
    • 

  • 1 red pepper, chopped
    • 

  • 1 cup shredded carrots
    • 

  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
    • 

  • 1 can (15 oz) low-sodium black beans, rinsed
    • 

  • 1/3cup chopped cilantro
    • 

  • 4 whole-wheat wraps
    • 

  • 4 cups coarsely chopped or shredded romaine lettuce
    • 



Serve with: lime wedges


Recipe Preparation


Remove pit and peel avocados. Coarsely chop 1 avocado; mash the other avocado in a small bowl and stir in 1/4 cup salsa until blended. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.


Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté pepper and carrots 3 minutes. Add cumin and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add beans and remaining 3/4 cup salsa; heat through. Stir in the chopped avocado and cilantro; mix well.


Spread about 3 Tbsp mashed avocado-salsa mixture on each wrap and top with 1 cup lettuce. Spoon 1 cup bean mixture over bottom third of wrap. Starting at bottom, roll up tightly. Place seam side down on serving platter. Serve with lime wedges.






Nutrition Facts

Yield 4 servings

Amount Per Serving


Calories 424

Total Fat 14g

Saturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 0

Sodium 503mg

Total Carbohydrates 74g

Dietary Fiber 20g

Protein 15g



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
National Pickle Month

			
						

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art of picklingJuly is National Pickle Month


I can remember years ago helping my friend Jan make homemade pickles.  On this particular day we made bread and butter pickles, garlic dills, pickled beets and garden relish.  After everything was put up, we sat at her kitchen table and took a jar of each and did our sampling.  One sample led to another till the jars were almost empty.  That was a good pickle making year.


Jan’s Bread and Butter Pickles


Sterilize jars and lids and keep hot till ready.


Mix together:


1 gallon of medium cucumbers, thinly sliced


8 medium sided onions, thinly sliced


6 large sweet green peppers, thinly sliced


Add to top:


½ cup coarse pickling salt


1 quart of cracked ice


Drain thoroughly and put into a big pot.


Combine in a pan:


1 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric


½ teaspoon of whole cloves


2 teaspoons white mustard


5 cups of sugar


5 cups of cider vinegar


1 teaspoon of celery seed


Bring to a boil.  Pour the spice mix over the drained vegetables and heat up to just boiling.  Pack vegetables into sterilized jars, pour excess juice over top and seal with lids.


 Additional cookbooks:


Complete Book of Home Preserving


The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich


Preserving Summer’s Bounty


Well-Preserved by Eugenia Bone


The Everything Canning & Preserving Book by Patricia Telesco


Canning & Preserving for Dummies by Amelia Jeanroy


 Pickle Fun Facts


    

  • The mighty pickle is over 4,000 years old.
    • 

  • The pickle was brought to the New World by Christopher Columbus 
    • 

  • Like pickles? So did George Washington, John Adams and Dolly Madison.  Cleopatra claimed pickles contributed to her beauty.
    • 

  • Americans eat about nine pounds of pickles a year.
    • 

  • Dill pickles are the most popular.
    • 

  • Pickles are mentioned at least twice in the Bible.
    • 

  • If all of the pickles consumed each year were placed end to end, they would reach the moon and back 8.25 times.
    • 



 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

			
						

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cheesecake bible


I love cheesecake! What’s not to love? It’s rich, creamy, and delicious.  When I have dessert out at a restaurant, nine times out of ten I will choose cheesecake with fruit drizzled on top.  YUM!  In honor of National Cheesecake Day on July 31st it might be fun to try your hand at making your own cheesecake at home.  I found this simple cheesecake recipe in The Cheesecake Bible by George Geary.


Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake


Preheat oven to 325⁰F


6 inch cheesecake pan, ungreased, or springform pan with 3 inch sides, greased


CRUST


¾ cup graham crackers


2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted


FILLING


2 packages (each 8 oz) cream cheese, softened


¾ cup granulated sugar


2 eggs


1/3 cup strawberry preserves or jam


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


    

  1. Crust: In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of cheesecake pan and freeze.
    2. 

  2. Filling: In a mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until very smooth, for 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Stir in vanilla. Swirl in strawberry preserves.   
    3. 

  3. Pour over frozen crust, smoothing out to sides of pan.  Bake in preheated oven until top is light brown and center has a slight jiggle to it, 30 – 40 minute.  Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 2 hours.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.
    4. 



Cheesecake related mysteries to read while you are waiting for your masterpiece to bake and cool:


Throw Darts at a Cheesecake by Denise Dietz


Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke