Chop Suey and Chocolate Bars

I couldn't find the Sun-Bird chop suey mix. I used some ginger, garlic, onion powder and corn starch.

My nephew, Steve was over for dinner.
We watched the Steelers and Eagles. They both lost.


CHOP SUEY

1/2 lb pork cubes (cut from pork blade or butt steak)
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 bunch green onions, sliced 1/4 inch bias
1 pkg Sun-Bird chop suey mix
1 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cans (14 oz ea) chop suey vegetables, drained
1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms, save liquid
Cooked rice
Chow mein noodles

In a 10 inch frying pan add pork cubes to peanut oil and brown for about 3 minutes. Add onions and sauté with pork for another 3 minutes. Combine water, soy sauce, mushroom liquid and stir in chop suey mix. Add to pork and simmer till it thickens (if too thick add liquid). Add drained vegetables and mushrooms and simmer for about 5minutes or until heated through. Serve over rice and top with crisp noodles. Serves 4.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY BARS

1 pkg fudge cake mix
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
1 tsp almond extract
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

FROSTING
1 cup sugar
5 tbsp butter
1/3 cup milk
6 oz pkg (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 x 9 inch pan. In large bowl combine first 5 ingredients and hand stir until well mixed. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean.
For the frosting: In small pan combine sugar, butter and milk. Boil for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Pour over bars. Makes about 3 dozen bars.

Como estas su rellenos?

What a great way to get your omega 3s. O.K., scrambled eggs would probably be easier but, this sure tasted great.
CHILIES RELLENOS

4 eggs, separated
2 tsp flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 scant tsp white pepper
1 can (4 oz) whole green chilies, halved lengthwise, seeded, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 lb Monterey jack cheese, sliced
6 oz mild taco or picante sauce

Beat egg whites until stiff. Wisk egg yolks in a large bowl and add flour, salt and pepper. Fold in beaten egg whites and pour half into a greased 6 x 10 x 2 inch baking dish. Lay chilies flat over mixture then cover with cheese slices. Pour remaining egg mixture over cheese. Bake in a 325 F oven for 25 minutes. Cut in 4 pieces and serve with warmed taco or picante sauce. Serves 2.


Carol was big help on this one. The recipe said beat egg whites until stiff. She told me that meant the eggs and not me. She also showed me how to fold in the eggs whites.

Happy Veterans Day!

The prep time on this took a little longer. Removing the skin from the chicken took a little longer than I anticipated.
The next time I make this, I'll add more rosemary and before I bake it, I think I'll even sprinkle some on.

BROILED CHICKEN LEG QUARTERS

2 chicken leg quarters
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp rosemary, crushed
Salt and pepper


Combine and mix olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic and rosemary. Place chicken legs and marinade in a sealed plastic bag. Coat chicken and marinate for about 4 hours in refrigerator.
Heat oven to 350 F, salt and pepper chicken, and bake on a broiling pan for 35 minutes. (Reserve marinade and baste when turning and broiling chicken.) Turn chicken and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and adjust for broiling about 6 or 7 inches from heating element. Broil for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. (Rev. 10/4/93)

Variation: Use Sara Lee's marinade and follow above cooking instructions except, do not salt and pepper.

Carol made the salad and I made the scalloped potatoes.

I Remember Friday Night Meals(Broiled Fish in Lemon Sauce)

Dad really liked broiled fish. I remember a lot of really great meals on Friday night. I especially remember him standing in the kitchen keeping an eye on the broiler. The kitchen was so small that when he bent down to open the oven, Mom could barely get by.
I had some orange roughy in the freezer and it really tasted great with this recipe.
I think next time I will cut down the butter and skip the marinading. The flavor of the seasonings could have been stronger, too.

BROILED FISH IN LEMON SAUCE

1 lb Red Snapper (Scrod, Boston Blue, Haddock, or Flounder) fillets, cut into serving size portions
1/2 cup margarine
2 tbsp Real-Lemon
1 tbsp white wine Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil leaves
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp dill weed

Melt margarine, stir in remaining ingredients. Pour over fillets in 8 x 12 inch baking dish. Marinate in refrigerator for at least one hour. Broil 4 inches from heat 10 to 12 minutes per inch of fish thickness. If fillets are more than 3/4 inch thick broil skin side up for first half of broiling time and turn. Baste with marinade 3 or 4 times during broiling. Serves 4.

I served this with brown rice and french cut green beans.

Happy 17th Birthday, Steve! (Cake and Frosting)

Carol did all the work here.

Our nephew's birthday was a great opportunity to try out a few of the cake and frosting recipes in The Book. Somehow, the decision to make a cake for his party turned into a decision to make a bowling-themed shape cake. (Steve is one of his high school's top bowlers - yea Steve!) A bowling pin and bowling ball were an easy choice.

The bowling ball was baked in a 2 quart casserole dish, so it required a somewhat denser cake than the pin which I baked in a jelly-roll pan. I chose the Apple Sauce Spice Cake for the ball and Deep, Dark Chocolate Cake for the pin. Because I wanted to tint the ball blue, I selected a butter-cream frosting for the ball and Fluffy Uncooked Frosting for the pin - fluffy frosting is always the easiest to use on a cake that's been cut into a shape.

I'm certainly not going to be taking any business away from the Ace of Cakes, but the end result was greeted with a big grin from the birthday boy. (And a comment from my dear sister about having WAY too much free time on my hands.)
FLUFFY UNCOOKED FROSTING
1 egg white, thorougly chilled 1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Combine in a large mixer bowl, egg white, sugar and cream of tartar. Add boiling water and at once begin beating with mixer until thick and fluffy. Add vanilla. Makes enough for tops and sides of two 9 inch layers.

APPLE SAUCE SPICE CAKE

1 box spice cake mix
1 cup apple sauce
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)


Prepare spice cake batter according to mix directions except: substitute 1 cup apple sauce for 1 cup of liquid in the directions. Add baking soda and nuts to the batter. When cool frost with caramel icing.

DEEP, DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE (Hershey Foods Corp.)

1 3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk or sour milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling strong black coffee

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
6 tbsp butter or margarine, softened 1 tsp vanilla
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted Few grains salt
3 to 3 1/2 tbsp milk

Cream butter or margarine in small mixer bowl. Add powdered sugar alternately with milk. Blend in vanilla andsalt. Beat to spreading consistency. Enough for tops and sides of two 8 inch layers.



Combine dry ingredients in large mixer bowl. Add remaining ingredients except coffee and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Remove from mixer and stir in boiling black coffee (batter will be thin).
Pour into two greased and floured 9" or three 8" layer pans or one 13 x 9" pan. Bake at 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes for the layers, 35 to 40 minutes for the 13 x 9" pan, or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on rack. Remove from pans and cool completely. Frost as desired.

GROUND BEEF PATTY & MUSHROOMS AU JUS

I remember Mom making this recipe. The mushrooms au jus really top it off.

GROUND BEEF PATTY & MUSHROOMS AU JUS


1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 tsp A-1 sauce

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp onion salt

Mix above ingredients. Make two 5/8 inch thick patties and dust with flour. Melt 1/2 tbsp margarine and fry over medium heat 3 to 3 1/2 min on each side. Serve with mushrooms au jus.

MUSHROOMS AU JUS

1 lb mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced

4 tbsp margarine

1 tbsp minced yellow onion

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp A-1 sauce

1 tsp G Washington Brown

Salt and pepper

Place above ingredients in a large covered skillet and simmer for 6 or 7 minutes. Serve over steaks or chops. Makes 2 cup. May be frozen in small containers.

BROILED SCALLOPS 25

1 lb sea scallops
2 tbsp margarine
3 tbsp dried bread crumbs
1 tsp dry basil leaves
1/2 tsp lemon pepper

Rinse scallops and pat dry. Toss in melted margarine to coat. Mix remaining ingredients. Dip one flat side of scallop in crumb mixture and place on broiler pan, crumb side up. Broil 3 inches from heat without turning for about 5 minutes or until opaque throughout. Serve with lemon wedges.

I Need Staff When I Bake

I got a whole skid of batteries so I'll be able to post pictures from now on.
This is another baking episode. Here is why I don't like baking. Too much clean up




APRICOT BARS

1 1/2 cups margarine (not butter)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/4 cups apricot preserves
Confectioners sugar

Turn on oven light to warm oven and close door. I didn't do this. I heated up the piping dough in the microwave. Just shows how old the recipe is. Cream margarine and sugar. Add egg yolks and vanilla and beat until creamy. Mix in the flour. Put 1/6 of the dough in an icing bag, seal and place in the warm oven. Hand press the remaining dough into a 9 x 13 baking pan. Warm apricot preserves and spread on dough, then sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Cover with lattice by piping warmed dough through the icing bag. There should be enough dough to pipe around the edges and make 5 long stripes and 7 short stripes.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in a 350 F oven. Cool, lightly dust with confectioners sugar, and cut into bars. (Rev. 11/15/91)

But even though I did have to do quite a few dishes, this turned out pretty good.
I took most of it into the office.

Sunday Breakfast

My batteries in the camera went dead again. So no pictures this time. I had some of the Italian bread left over from the "Gourmet" Steak Sandwiches. So, on Sunday after church we made french toast with Italian bread. I hope that doesn't cause a international incident. I made the mix and Carol actually did the cooking. I practiced my trumpet while she cooked. To go with this, I had microwaved some bacon and made a fruit salad with apples, grapes and bananas. The bread was pretty stale but that made it really good.
FRENCH TOAST

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
6 slices Italian bread
Butter flavored shortening

Beat together in a shallow bowl the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Melt 1 tbsp shortening in a hot skillet. Dip bread into egg mixture coating both sides, and fry over medium/low heat 2 or 3 minutes on each side until crisp and golden brown. Add shortening as needed to fry remaining bread slices.
May be fast frozen on a cookie sheet. If frozen, heat in 425 F oven on a rimmed baking sheet for 8 to 9 minutes.

It's A Snap!

This is favorite of mine that my sister in law, Fritzi makes. It was her grandmother's recipe. The hardest part was working with the molasses.

GINGERSNAPS


1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup Crisco
1 egg
4 tbsp molasses
2 cups flour, unsifted
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground clove
1 tsp cinnamon

Cream sugar and shortening. Add egg and beat until light and fluffy, then add molasses. Stir and toss together flour, baking soda, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon, and add to the first mixture, beating until smooth. Roll dough into teaspoon-size balls, then roll each ball in granulated sugar. Place 3 inches apart on greased sheets and bake in a 350 F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until tops have cracked. Makes 4 dozen cookies.


They tasted pretty good. But, I think I'll just continue taking the empty cookie tin to Fritzi in December to get a refill.

A Little Different Pasta Meal

I used two boneless skinless chicken breasts for this. That was plenty. I also removed the skin from the sausage and used turkey sausage. We enjoyed this meal as we watched Penn State make a "House" call on Michigan this weekend.
CHICKEN WITH SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, cut in 8 pieces
3 lb chicken, cut up in 8 pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes in puree
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 1/2 tsp chili powder (original said 3 tsp)
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin (original said 2 tsp)
3/4 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp sugar

Brown sausage pieces in oil in a 6 quart pot, remove and set aside. Then brown chicken pieces skin side down first and turn. Remove chicken and set aside. Add onion and garlic to oil and cook 5 minutes. Add and mix tomatoes, tomato sauce, vinegar and seasonings. Return chicken and sausage to the pot, cover and simmer 35 to 45 minutes. Serve over favorite pasta.

Easy Clean Up/Not So Easy Clean Up

I liked this recipe because it has a real short prep time and little clean up. But that all changes in the dressing recipe below, though.
I made this with boneless skinless chicken breasts. I'd use chicken thighs next time. The other change I'd make is to use 1/2 cup of sherry. If you have fresh mushrooms, saute them and add rather than use the canned.
CHICKEN BREASTS IN WINE AND MUSHROOMS

4 to 6 chicken breast halves (or thighs)
2 cans (10 oz ea) cream of chicken soup
1 can (4 oz) mushroom pieces, save liquid
1/4 cup cream sherry
1 tbsp butter

Remove skin from chicken and place bone side down in a 9 x 13 inch Pyrex baking dish. In a bowl, blend cream of chicken soup with sherry and liquid from mushrooms. Add mushrooms and spoon mixture over chicken. Dot with butter and bake in 350 degree oven 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Serve with rice.
















Along with the chicken I made this dressing. I had to do some Googling for this one. I didn't know how to juice an onion . I ended up using a food processor and pureeing it. This is a sweet dressing but, I wanted a little more tang to it so I added more vinegar. The time I saved making the chicken was lost making this recipe.

CELERY SEED DRESSING (Penn State HUB)

1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 medium onion, juice from
5/8 cup vinegar
1 pt salad oil
1/8 cup celery seed

In mixer bowl combine sugar, salt, mustard, onion juice and 1/2 of vinegar. Beat at medium speed and gradually add oil and remaining vinegar. Beat until a thick stable emulsion has formed. Add celery seed. One half of this recipe makes almost a pint.

Steak your claim

I was not impressed with the cube steaks for this meal. I think a sliced strip steak would be much better. Someone used my green pepper to make her chutney. So I made this with onions instead.

GOURMET STEAK SANDWICH


4 cube steaks
8 tomato wedges
4 green pepper strips, 1/2 inch wide
4 bias-cut, 3/4 inch slices French bread, toasted

GOURMET SAUCE
1 can (10 oz) condensed beef broth
1 cup wine
3 green onions, finely sliced
Pinch pepper
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp snipped parsley
4 tsp butter or margarine

For the Gourmet Sauce, combine broth, wine, green onions and seasonings. Cook fast to reduce the volume in half. Remove bay leaf and add lemon juice, parsley and butter. Set aside but keep hot.
Pan fry or grill cube steaks 1 or 2 minutes per side. At same time briefly sauté green pepper slices and tomato wedges. Lightly salt and pepper steaks and vegetables. To serve, drizzle 2 tablespoons sauce over each sliceof toast, place steak on toast with a green pepper strip and 2 tomato wedges atop. Spoon any remaining sauce over sandwiches.
This Gourmet Sauce can be used to dress up hamburgers, left over London broil or roast beef.

I served this with some cheddar cheese melted on Tostito chips.

I've got the blues.

This recipe would work for other types of fish as well.
Rather than adding the second 2 tbsp of butter for basting, I just used a pasty brush and marinade in the dish while broiling.
BLUEFISH AU GRATIN

3/4 lb Bluefish fillets, cut in 2 pieces
4 tbsp melted butter, divided
2 tsp white Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of salt, oregano, thyme, dill weed and basil
2 medium onions, sliced
1/3 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Combine 2 tbsp melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt and spices. Pour over fillets in a glass baking dish and marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Sauté onions about 15 minutes or until tender and set aside.
Broil fish 4 inches from the broiler and baste with remaining butter for 10 to 12 minutes per inch of thickness. When fish is done, spoon onions over fillets and sprinkle with cheese. Return to broiler for 30 seconds to melt cheese. Serves 2.
Variation: Substitute 1/2 green pepper for 1 onion.

We served this with brown rice.

"Uncle Ken, is it done yet?"

I made this recipe Tuesday night. My sister-in-law, nephew and niece were over that night. I only had half of the cake left, when they departed.
This is a a very moist coffee cake. If the apples are large, use two. If they are small you can use four. Don't peel the apples. This was our landlord's recipe.
APPLE COFFEE CAKE


2 cups Granny Smith apples, chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt

Mix apples and granulated sugar, then set aside for 1 or 2 hours. Cream butter and stir in egg, vanilla, flour, soda and salt. Add apple mixture and pour into an 8 x 8 inch baking pan.

TOPPING
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter

Sprinkle batter with mixture of sugar and cinnamon and dot with butter. Bake in 350 F oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

This took 45 minutes to cook. I used the middle rack, though.

While I Was Away

We are still finding ways to use all of our tomatoes. Carol made this while I was out one evening. We like to do a roast in the crock pot and add the chutney.
It always tastes great.
CHUTNEY

2 1/2 lb tomatoes, peeled and chopped 1/2 inch
1/2 lb onions, chopped 1/4 inch
1/2 green pepper, chopped 1/4 inch
1/2 red pepper, chopped 1/4 inch
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp mustard seed, crushed
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar

Combine all above ingredients in a 4 quart pot and cook slowly, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours. Sugar and vinegar may need slight adjusting. Makes 3 1/2 cups. May be frozen.

It only gets better.

This is a good casserole meal. I thought the flavors came through even more the second night.
BEEF AND NOODLE CASSEROLE


2 cups (4 oz) dry Munchen egg noodles
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
1 tbsp flour
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (10 oz) Campbell's Beef Broth
1/4 cup Burgundy (or dry sherry) wine
1/8 tsp pepper
1 can (4 oz) mushroom pieces, drained
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Cook noodles, drain and set aside. In a 12 inch skillet brown ground beef, onions and garlic and drain fat.Stir in remaining ingredients except noodles, mushrooms, sour cream and Parmesan cheese. Simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, noodles, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and fold in the sour cream. Pour into a 11 x 7 x 2 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes. Serves 6.

Bran Name Only

Well, it's great to be back home. Our cruise was lots of fun. I finally got new batteries for the camera, so I can start taking pictures again. I was going to make this recipe a couple of weeks ago but, I ran out of time. A quiet Sunday afternoon and a couple of football games made this a good time to make these muffins. This is from my Aunt Marian. She lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming and was the wife of my Mom's brother, Uncle Francis McCormick. She knew more about Cheyenne history than any tour guide I ever met.
I'm still not a fan of baking. I had to get some guidance from Carol. The original recipe below is a little confusing. I added some notes in red to clarify.
BRAN MUFFINS

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup Crisco
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups unsifted flour
2 1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup boiling water
1 cup "100% Bran" cereal(This is the cereal that looks like gerbil food)
2 cups "All-Bran" cereal(These are the bran flakes)
Thoroughly cream together sugar and shortening. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add flour, soda, salt and buttermilk, mixing until smooth. Meanwhile, pour boiling water over "100% Bran"; let stand until cereal has absorbed water and has cooled slightly. Blend this mixture into batter. Add "All-Bran", mixing thoroughly. Use immediately, or refrigerate batter covered up to five weeks. When ready to use, dip batter (without stirring) into 2 1/2 inch paper cups in a muffin tin. Bake in oven preheated to 400 degrees about 20 minutes or until done.(More like 25 minutes) Makes 3 dozen muffins. Recipe may be doubled.

It's Not Just A Chick Flick!

It's fall and the tomatoes on the vine are all green now. Dad used to have a tomato garden in the backyard but, I don't remember him or Mom ever making this.
I looked at other recipes on the web and this one is pretty easy. The corn meal doesn't stick as well as expected, so I really had to press it on and get some juice from the tomato to mix with it.

My camera batteries were low so still no pictures. We served this with cold grilled chicken sandwiches. That was my wife's idea. She used one of the ripe tomatoes we had and some of the left over spinach from the spinach salad recipe. It was a delicious lunch.

We're off on our cruise up to New England and Canada tomorrow.

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES - SOUTHERN STYLE

6 slices of green tomatoes, 3/8 inch
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp coriander
Salt and pepper

Season flour with salt, pepper and coriander and coat tomato slices. Then coat with cornmeal so they are heavily coated and set aside on waxed paper. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy non-stick skillet. Place a layer of tomatoes in the skillet and sprinkle each slice with about 1 tsp of brown sugar. Press the sugar onto the slices with your fingers. Fry over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes. (I used medium high) Turn and again sprinkle 1 tsp sugar on each slice pressing with your fingers and continue to cook until the sugar caramelizes. Turn once more until the sugar on the second side caramelizes. The entire cooking process should take about 8 minutes. Watch carefully that the sugar does not burn. Remove to a warm platter and serve.

Happy New Year!

How did you spend your New Year's Eve last week?

Uncle Sam just ended his fiscal year on September 30th.

Our office held a "New Years Eve" picnic today.

There was so much food. I'm new in the office so it was fun way to meet new people.

Rather than simmering carrots, I microwaved them for about two minutes.

I'd use at least 3/4 cup of green peppers next time if for nothing else to add some color to the mix.

MARINATED CARROTS

3 cups carrots, sliced 1/8 inch

3/4 cup sweet onion, sliced 1/4 inch and quartered

1/2 cup green (or red) pepper, chopped 1/4 inch

1/2 can (10 3/4 oz) tomato soup (or 2/3 cup)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup salad oil

3/8 cup vinegar

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp prepared mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Simmer carrots about 5 to 7 minutes to fork tender (not soft) and drain. Mix remaining ingredients and add carrots. Marinate in the refrigerator. Will keep 1 month under refrigeration.

That 'Slaw' Folks

I hadn't grilled chicken for a while. Mainly because I've been so focused on working through these recipes. But, this week we've had some beautiful fall days and I thought grilled chicken would taste darn good. I marinated three boneless, skinless breasts in 1/2 cup of Kraft Zesty Italian dressing.

I saw this coleslaw recipe in "The Book" and decided it would make a good side.
I didn't take a picture of the ingredients this time. I used the pre-shredded cabbage.


COLESLAW

2 cups shredded cabbage (1/2 small head)
1/2 cup Miracle Whip(I used Lite Mayo)
2 tsp milk
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Pepper
2 tbsp sour cream (if available)

Mix Miracle Whip, milk, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper until smooth. Pour over and mix in the shredded cabbage. Serves 4.


I doubled the vinegar and it still lacked tang. I'll probably stick with buying the bottled coleslaw dressing.

Maybe Alice Should Have Tried This Instead

My mother in law brought this to an Easter dinner one year. My Mom and Dad liked it so much that they included the recipe in "The Book".





MARINATED MUSHROOMS

2 lbs mushrooms
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup salad oil
1 clove garlic, halved
1 1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp thyme leaves
1/2 tsp oregano leaves
1/2 tsp chervil leaves
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cup water
1 red onion, diced
Chopped parsley

Clean and trim mushrooms. Blanch whole mushrooms for 1 minute then slice. Combine all of above and marinate 12 hours in refrigerator.

We used sliced mushrooms instead of whole.

Is A Zebra Black with White Stripes or White With Black Sripes?

My dad was born on Washington's birthday. Maybe that's why mom would put maraschino cherries on top of his birthday cake. This was Dad's mom's recipe.

When I was young, I'd call this zebra cake. Eventually, it just came to be known as Dad's birthday cake. For the longest time, I couldn't figure out how Dad got those stripes to show up when he cut cake. They best piece is an end because you get all the extra heavy whipping cream. If you don't want to take the time to whip the cream you can just use a can of whipped cream.

My wife put this one together.

CHOCOLATE REFRIGERATOR ROLL

1/2 pt whipping cream
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
20 Nabisco chocolate wafers
Maraschino cherries

Whip cream with sugar and vanilla until stiff. Spread wafers with part of cream and put together in stacks of 4 or 5.

Chill 15 minutes. Stand stacks on edge on plate to make one long roll. Frost outside with remaining cream and garnish with cherries.




Refrigerate at least 3 hours.



To serve slice diagonally. Roll may also be frozen and served.
I recommend freezing this before you cut it. It will hold together better when you slice it.

I thought you got it.

Dinner was made with "things we found around the house".

This recipe was not on our weekly menu list. It also wasn't on our radar for the week. But, neither husband nor wife had remembered to pick up a key ingredient for our planned entree. That sent us off to the freezer to see what we could find and prompted a recipe book search. The search ended with Dijon Pork Chops, providing we could find the rest of the ingredients. A well-stocked pantry came to our rescue and dinner was suddenly possible.

DIJON PORK CHOPS

2 pork chops
Shortening
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard, divided
1/2 small onion, minced
1 pkg McCormicks pork gravy mix with 1 cup water
1/4 tsp marjoram
3 tbsp sour cream
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp white wine
1/2 can (4 oz) mushroom pieces, drained
1/2 tsp parsley flakes

Trim fat from pork chops and render in frying pan or use shortening to brown the pork chops. Salt and pepper pork chops and spread both sides with half of the mustard. Place in a cooking-spray coated baking dish in a single layer.
Sauté onion in frying pan juices for about 5 minutes. Prepare the gravy in the frying pan and add the remaining ingredients and heat. Pour sauce over pork chops and cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Heat in a 350 F oven for 40 to 50 minutes. Serve with sauce over steamed rice.


We served this with rice and the gazpacho.

Maybe This Was Mama Bear's Soup

Here’s another recipe to use more of the tomatoes from our garden.
This was introduced to the family by my oldest brother’s wife.
I googled Slang Jang and found a number of links. It’s a Texas favorite.

Gazpacho - Slang Jang
2 cans (15 oz ea) tomatoes, with liquid
(Instead of the 2 cans, I used four fresh tomatoes.)
1 1/2 cups bread and butter pickles, with juice
1 can (6 oz) minced clams, with liquid
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 or 2 tbsp vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
6 dashes Tabasco sauce or to taste

Process tomatoes to a puree and set aside. Process the pickles to a fine chop. Combine with tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Chill and serve. Makes about 3 pints.



I served this with toasted ciabatta bread with EVO and fresh garlic.

Oh yeah? Go ahead and sous me!

I was the sous-chef and did the prep work for this one. My wife did all the cooking.

CHICKEN FRICASSEE

2 chicken leg quarters, split at knee, skinned, rinsed, and patted dry
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp shortening
1/3 cup frozen chopped onion
1/3 cup frozen chopped pepper
1 can (10 oz) chicken broth, divided
1/4 tsp combined basil, oregano, and marjoram, crushed
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp flour

Mix 2 tbsp flour, paprika, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper in a plastic bag and coat chicken well. In an 8 inch skillet that has a cover, cook chicken in hot oil about 15 minutes turning until lightly browned. Remove chicken and set aside.
Add chopped onion and green pepper to skillet and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes while scraping bottom of skillet. Add half of chicken broth with spice mixture and bring to a boil. Return chicken, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is tender and juices run clear. Add broth as necessary to maintain about 1/8 inch liquid in pan during cooking.

Remove chicken and keep warm. Add remaining broth to pan and deglaze. Remove from heat. Mix 1 tbsp flour with milk and stir into pan juices. Cook for about 3 minutes or until thickened. Serve with noodles if desired. Serves 2.

We served this with broccoli, cauliflower and peas and whole wheat noodles.

It's All In The Name

This recipe reminds me of a visit to Mom and Dad’s house. Dad and my wife were talking about recipes from their childhood. They both recalled having fried mush.
Dad set out to find a good recipe for this. On our next visit, he made this and served it on Sunday morning. I think Polenta is a much better name.

FRIED MUSH(Polenta)
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 tbsp flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup cold water
2 cups boiling water
Butter-Flavor Crisco

Combine salt, cornmeal and flour in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the 1 cup of cold water until blended and smooth. Bring the 2 cups of water to boiling and whisk in the mush mixture. Return to boiling and reduce heat to very low. Continue cooking for 15 minutes, stirring often so as not to stick to bottom of pot. Pour into a buttered 3 1/4 x 6 inch loaf pan, cover with Saran and refrigerate overnight.
When cold, slice in 1/4 inch slices, dust lightly with flour and fry in Butter-Flavor Crisco on medium/low about 6 minutes on first side and 5 minutes on second side or until crisp and golden brown. Serve with butter and syrup. (May be frozen. If frozen thaw before frying.)

I'm strong to the finish, 'cause I eats me Spinach...

This recipe comes from my niece in California. I couldn’t find a 10 oz package of spinach. I ended up getting two 6 oz packages instead. I ended up only using one of the packages and putting half of the other ingredients in the refrigerator to make another salad this week.


SPINACH SALAD
1 pkg (10 oz) fresh leaf spinach. stems removed and washed
5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 eggs, hardboiled and chopped
1/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/4 lb Feta cheese, crumbled
4 tbsp vinegar
4 tbsp water
4 tbsp oil
1 tbsp Grey Poupon mustard
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil leaves
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp chives
1/4 tsp Season-all
Salt and pepper

Mix seasonings and pour over spinach, bacon, eggs, mushrooms and cheese. Toss until covered.

My wife's recommendation to serve this with rice and crab cakes was a hit.

Are you paying attention?

Can you spot the mistake in the picture? There are three ingredients that are either wrong or are not supposed to be there. I’m glad my nose was working before I added the one to the mix.



APPLE PANCAKE

2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, quartered, cored, sliced in 24 wedge slices
1 tbsp margarine
3/8 cup milk
2 eggs
6 tbsp pancake flour mix
1 tsp melted margarine
1 1/2 tbsp margarine
1 tbsp chunk of margarine

Turn oven to 425 F and preheat. Combine sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside. Prepare apple slices. Place a 10 inch cast iron skillet in the oven for 7 minutes. In the meantime, sauté the apple slices in 1 tbsp margarine in a second skillet at medium low heat for 5 minutes or until fork tender.
Mix eggs and milk well. Add pancake flour and stir until smooth. Stir in 1 tsp melted margarine.
Remove hot cast iron skillet from oven and add 1 ½ tbsp margarine to melt. Spread the apple slices and pour the pancake batter over the apple slices.
Place the skillet in the 425 F oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 F and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the pancake is light brown.
Remove skillet from oven and turn on broiler. Paint the pancake with the chunk of margarine on a fork to melt and sprinkle with sugar mixture. Place under the broiler for about 30 seconds or until it is bubbly on top. Serve with bacon and syrup or confectioners sugar. Serves 2 (or 4 as a side dish).