Caramel Popcorn!

With a Christmas twist! I got this recipe last November and have used it a LOT. This fall we were given a huge box of microwave popcorn so we thought caramel popcorn would be a great neighbor-Christmas-gift. It is!

The basic, year round recipe is simply this:

1 bag microwave popcorn, popped and dumped in a large bowl (pick out the kernals so you don't break a tooth!)

7 large marshmallows
1/2 cube margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
Melt these three in a sauce pan on your stove, stirring continually. As soon as its melted together, pour over the popcorn and stir together to coat the popcorn. (if you keep stirring, say, while your helper is making sure your popcorn is kernal-free, you'll have a hard set caramel which is a little -or a lot- more difficult to eat.)

For St Patricks Day I did green caramel popcorn, just added a few drops of green food coloring while stirring the caramel together. So for Christmas....

I did a batch of red, a batch of green and a batch of regular, then put it in a much bigger bowl all together, and divided it into cute containers or plates to give away! FUN!

Burritos at home!

Tonight was pretty busy, so I turned to another of my mom's staple-meals that is easy, quick and filling. If you skip the final step it can be pretty nutritious too. *wink. I keep mine pretty simple, which is nice because I don't have to have fresh ingredients on hand, haha!

First I lay out my flour tortilla. I like to buy burrito size for everything I use flour tortillas for. Then I use a large tablespoon and get a couple scoops of refried beans. For my own burrito I sprinkle salsa on the beans. I put half a slice of cheese on top of the beans, but shredded cheese would be fine too. That's where my burritos stop, but you can add shredded lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, anything you like.

Folding was something I had to learn. Really. So in case you are burrito inept like me, here's what you do. First, put the beans and stuff towards a side. Not to the edge, but close-ish. If you want your cheese melted, and if you want the tortilla to fold and not tear, stick in the microwave right now for about 15 seconds. Then fold that side into the middle, yep, the whole blob of food. Now fold the ends in so it doesn't squish out. I really hate that and it doesn't work so great if you fry it... Then roll it up the rest of the way and to get it to stay- slide a toothpick in to "fasten" the end down. I use the same pan to make chips to fry them, in about the same amount of shallow oil. Fry til its browned and En.Joy!

love that crispy-tortilla goodness!

If you wanted a healthier option, skip the frying. Just microwave til its heated thru, fold it up and dinner's ready! ...faster this way too.

Fresh Pumpkin Pie

We made this a while ago, but I'm posting it now.

Look closely. Notice anything missing?

This is my MIL's recipe. We used markers on our pumpkins this year for Halloween and wanted to use them for pies. So this started as whole pumpkin, which we baked and pureed and strained. Feel free to use canned! Its a lot easier!

Impossible Pumpkin Pie:
D. Harvey
3/4 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Bisquick
2 tbsp Butter
13 oz can Evaporated Milk
2 eggs
16 oz Pumpkin
2 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 tsp Vanilla
Blend it all together in a blender. Pour into a 9inch pie plate that has been greased with shortening. Bake on 350* for 50-55 minutes.

Looks perfect, doesn't it? I will tell you, the Bisquick gives it a crust feel, without the crust. So it IS drier than your regular pumpkin pie, but it is tasty!

The great chip debate!

eh. its over.
home-fried tortilla chips win!

So to go with that soup posted below, I typically fry my own chips. Its very easy, they taste better, and even getting top-of-the-line corn tortillas, its cheaper than any bag of chips!

Get out your good, hearty skillet and pour in an inch or less of canola oil. Cut your tortillas however you like: my parents would do strips, I do triangles, it doesn't really matter. Heat the oil to a medium temperature and fry up your chips! I turn them once so they brown on both sides.

 I line them up to drain any extra oil off and sprinkle them with salt as soon as I pull them out, but you sure wouldn't have to.

mmmmm!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Here's my new favorite soup. Its a hit with my family, but only the first night. No one seems to like the left overs besides me, which is unusual. I don't normally like left overs. *grin
It is also my favorite because it only has to heat thru and then you serve it! Can't beat that!! 

You'll need these things....

and it ends up looking like this:

Chicken Tortilla Soup:
from Macey's grocery store

1 can chicken with rice condensed soup
1 1/3 cups water
1 cup salsa
1 can pinto beans, rinsed
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 cup frozen or 1 can corn
1 cup diced cooked chicken (or one can chicken chunks)
1 tsp ground cumin

Put it all in a pot and cook over med heat until heated through.

Serve with crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream on top, chips on the side!

Mom's {famous} Spaghetti!

It's "famous" because our most frequent wedding gift to give is the recipe and dry ingredients for my mom's spaghetti sauce! Yep, its that good! It's also really, really easy.

Again, I have a family of four, so you may need more, or you might have more leftovers than I do. *grin

ETA 8/31/19: Here's a more clear list of ingredients. Instructions follow.

1 pound ground beef
1 14.5oz cans of stewed or diced tomatoes
2 8oz can tomato sauce
1 tbsp dehydrated onion
salt
black pepper
add the following spices to your liking: (at least half a tsp, as much as a tbsp)
oregano
basil
rubbed sage
ground thyme
parsley
bay leaves (2)
minced garlic or 1-2 garlic cloves, or granulated garlic or garlic powder
onion powder
brown sugar (about 2 tbsp)
*add tomato paste to thicken the sauce, add up to 8oz water to thin the sauce and stretch it for a crowd.

Get out your skillet and get it hot.
Sprinkle in salt, black pepper and a little dehydrated onion.
We usually freeze 1/2 lb globs of ground beef so I put one of those globs in the pan. (you can add more meat if you're feeding a crowd!) Brown the meat and drain off the grease.
I put in a can of stewed tomatoes, and personally, I use a stick blender and puree it. My kids nor I like to chew bites of tomatoes in my spaghetti. Then two cans of tomato sauce.
If I'm in the mood for thicker sauce, I put in a can of tomato paste. If my mom needs to feed more people, she fills one of the tomato sauce cans with water and adds that now.

Now for the seasonings. I love oregano and basil so there's a lot of that. Add thyme, sage, minced garlic, a dash of parsley, 2 bay leaves (remove before eating and definitely before you store the leftovers), onion powder, and a little brown sugar (a couple tablespoons or so). Stir it all up and let it simmer while you begin the spaghetti noodles!

Drain the noodles, scoop it on a plate, slather on some sauce, sprinkle with a little Parmesan, serve next to your favorite garlic bread and vegetables and tada! you have a yummy dinner ready to go!

mmmmm!

My MIL loved this recipe because all the sauce recipes she's seen require it to simmer all day. I don't know how this recipe was designed, but it has always been a quick dinner at our house.

Hash.

This is a great, quick meal for cold autumn/winter nights that we are using a lot.

For my family of four, I cut 5 potatoes into cubes and put in a pot to boil and turn soft faster. While they boil, I cut a can of spam into cubes. You can use ham (like a ham steak) but that means thawing meat and spam is faster. I pour enough veg oil to just cover the bottom of our frying pan, and put the spam in to start browning. then add the softened potatoes. Toss in a little dehydrated onion and pepper (and sometimes chives) while it cooks. Just as its finishing up, I top the pan off with frozen corn and serve as soon as that is ready to eat!

Fast, filling and tasty!

healthy...perhaps not.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What did you eat today? I forgot pictures of dinner, but our menu included:

Turkey - by my husband
Ham - provided by my aunt
Mashed Potatoes & gravy - made by my dad
Green Bean Casserole - made by my mom
Stuffing - made by my parents
Rolls - made by my dad
Vegetable tray - provided by my cousin
Stuffed Mushrooms - provided by my aunt
Rainbow Jello - made by my husband


and then the following fabulous desserts...!

banana cream pie, pumpkin pies, lemon meringue, pumpkin cheesecake, apple pie, andes mint pie, oreo pie....
mmmmmmm!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Banana Bread or Muffins?

Recently my cousin made some banana muffins and posted a picture, which was just mean because I couldn't run over and taste some. So I've been wanting to make them ever since. I didn't have all the things her recipe required (wheat bran?) so I adjusted the recipe I've grown up using. And I did muffins this time, instead of loaves. That makes it easier to share with friends!

mmmmmm!!
My family loved it too, so this variation is a keeper! I have a recipe on this if you want it!

Banana Bread
P Goodman

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine
2 eggs
3 large bananas
1/4 cup buttermilk or soured milk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/4 cup flour

Mash bananas with fork. Mix all ingredients thourougly. Pour evenly into 2 well-greased pans. Bake at 350* for 45-60 minutes

My edits for the muffins? Since I was inspired by my cousins muffins, I put in 1/2 cup of chopped-to-bits pecans and 1 cup of white chocolate chips, then scooped them into muffin cups rather than bread pans. It only took about 25 minutes to bake. And it was warm, dreamy goodness!

Homemade Bread!

ETA: When my husband looked thru this blog, he told me he doesn't alter the recipe at all, and made some tonight and handed me the recipe! So for all you wondering minds.... here is the dreamy bread recipe:




I have no recipe for you, only pictures to make you drool...

My husband made four loaves of bread the other day and this is us diving in. We ate more than half the loaf that night. It was sooo tasty!

I would share a recipe, but he alters it every time. I think this one is just about perfect and could be a keeper!

Cheesy Potato Chowder

Winter has arrived.

Winter is the best time for soups and stews. I only like to eat a few meals like that and tonight's dinner is one of them. This recipe comes from my mother-in-law and is easy, filling and yummy so its a winner for me!

When I was a kid my mom would make soups or stews on bread baking day. I cheat and serve pillsbury biscuits or crackers. but homemade bread can't be beat!

Cheesy Potato Chowder
crispy, crispy bacon
potatoes (I do at least 8 for our family of four)
onion (1 diced, or 2 tablespoons of dehydrated)
corn (I use frozen...maybe 1.5 cups)
carrots (4-6 whole carrots, cut into 'coins')
garlic salt
pepper
chives
celery flakes (ground up in my hand, mortar and pestle style)
chicken boullion (about a cube per cup of water)
1 part milk to 2 parts water
1 can cheese sauce

I start by putting 2-3 slices fatty bacon in the bottom of the soup pot to brown. Basically I burn it, even by my standards of overcooking meat, haha... I take them out and rest them on paper towels, drain off the excess grease, and throw everything else into the bacon-ed pot.
Put everything but the cheese sauce into a pot to boil. (I do enough water/milk to cover the ingredients) Allow to simmer until the potatoes and carrots are soft. Put the cheese sauce in as soup is finishing up.

En. Joy!!!

Something New...

Tonight I tried these Mexican Rice Enchiladas and if you click on that name you'll find the recipe!

Personally, I love enchiladas. In a restaurant I always choose cheese, but when I make them at home I add ground beef. Trouble is, not all of my family loves (or even likes) enchiladas... Tonight's variation, however, was a hit! Yeay!

The prep time did take longer than I expected, but I am a simple cook and I want it done fast, so its probably just my own impatience. Also, if I had turned the stacks the other way in the pan I could have fit 2-3 more tortillas worth in the pan. There is a small container in my fridge holding "enchilada filling". The work was worth it tho:

New Favorite

Our favorite appetizer at Olive Garden is the hot artichoke dip. We had some friends over recently and my husband (who is an amazing cook and you will see more of in the future) made some artichoke dip and broiled slices of baguette. MMMMM. This is my new favorite! He made it again today...

Want the recipe? I know you do!

Hot Artichoke Dip
(given to me by D. Allen - her source unknown)
(DH's edits are italicized)

Ingredients:
2 jars (6.5oz each) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 10oz pkg frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, pressed or heaping tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
3tbsp ricotta cheese
enough Mozzarella cheese to top your baking dish

Mix everything together and put in a baking dish. Top with plenty of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Bake at 375*F for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Then broil no more than 2 minutes to brown cheese topping.
Serve with fresh vegetables, chunks of french bread or chips

Our favorite is the baguettes, sliced, brushed with olive oil and baked about 10 minutes. And you can see in the picture he topped it with fresh salsa from our local grocery store.
mmmmmmm!!

Feel like Chicken tonight?

Menu:
     Fried Chicken
     Baked Potatoes - butter, salt, pepper, grated cheddar cheese
     Mixed Vegetables - frozen mix of carrots, green beans and corn
     Milk

Today I actually planned a head. Busy night meant little cook time. So in the afternoon I prepped enough baked potatoes for my family and pulled some frozen chicken breasts out to thaw (in a plastic baggie, in a bowl, in the fridge). In between running around I managed to stick the potatoes in at 400*. I got them out almost exactly an hour later!

Now to the chicken. It had thawed through so I cut them into strips/chunks. I find its easier to completely cook when working with a smaller piece. I mixed regular AP flour with Montreal chicken seasoning in a sandwich baggie and 'breaded' the chicken one piece at a time. Then I fried it in the cast iron skillet in perhaps too much oil...but it also cooked faster so that's ok, right?

I serve a lot of vegetables with dinner. Usually that means dumping some frozen selection in a large bowl with at least twice as much water, then sticking it in the microwave for 3-5 minutes. I then drain off the water and add a bit of butter/margarine.

And dinner was served!