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: