Cooking

DH's parents were in town this weekend and I had been reading The Pioneer Woman's blog and just had to try her Braised Beef Short Ribs. They were wonderful. I didn't have any wine so just used broth. I would like to try it with wine, too. We will be making this again and again.

Blessings,

Snow

This is what we woke up to this morning. It is melting fast.

Blessings,

Sweet Potato Recipe

I found the recipe at Allrecipes.com and it is called Sweet Potato Cranberry Bake. I used pecans instead of the walnuts because that's what I had on hand and I had some canned crushed pineapple in the refrigerator left over from a cake I baked last week so I used that instead of the orange juice. I also cooked my sweet potatoes in the microwave instead of boiling them.

I could eat this all day long! I love it. Hope you enjoy.

Blessings,

Recipe and Retreat pictures

Ziploc Omelet

This is so much fun. It is good for groups. My sister gave me this recipe and it works really good when they go camping with the Boy Scouts.

Have each one write their name on a quart size Ziploc freezer bag with a permanent marker.


Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the bag (not more than 2) shake and squish to combine them. Put out a variety of ingredients such as: cheeses, ham, sausage, bacon bits, (all meats need to be cooked and I sauted the onion and peppers) onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, etc. Each person adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake. Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.

Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6 to 8 omelets in a large pot (stock pot - 7 to 8 qt is good). For more, make another pot of boiling water.

Cut across the top of the bag and slide the omelet out and enjoy.




The bags are in the pot. As you can see I didn't have a 7 or 8 quart pot. I was told by the retreat owner that there was a large pot. Her idea and my idea of a large pot are two different things. If I do it again I will take my own pot.


We had so much fun with these at retreat. Getting the air out is important. I forgot to tell them that part and what will happen is the bag fills with air and takes up a lot of room in the pot. Don't cheat--they need the full 13 minutes.


Jan joined us on Tuesday and brought her Double Wedding Ring she is hand piecing. The colors are fantastic!


Dixie happily working away. This is our raffle/donation quilt and we all pieced a block of this sampler. Then Dixie cut the alternate blocks and she made the center block then set them all together. She then asked for suggestions on the borders. I suggested the putty color. What do you think? If you click on the picture it will make it bigger and you can see the floral fabric has that color in one of the flowers.
And then the next day--the finished project.


I got caught still in my jammies. See my Stacked Moons behind me on the design wall?


Dixie helping Marie sandwich a baby quilt for her to hand quilt.



Priscilla put many many stitches in her doll house quilt before retreat. Continued working on it at retreat.
And on the design wall. With Marie pinning her 4 Patch Stacked Posies on the design wall.


Kathleen with her string quilt. Aren't the colors beautiful? She sewed the blocks at home then brought them specifically to put on a design wall to arrange the colors better. She got the whole thing sewed together and then brought out her Turning Twenty.
Got it all pinned up then we all helped her rearrange as the colors needed. Then she got it all the blocks sewn together then into rows before it was time to go.


If you haven't gone on retreat I encourage you to give it a try. I have been in this group for years and we know each other pretty well. And you get to know each other even better at a retreat. I didn't take a picture of Priscilla's PJ's she made just for retreat. They were black and white striped pants with a black and white print top with appliqued flowers. (She's one of those over achievers.) The rest of us don't let it bother us.

Can't wait to go back.


Blessings,

Cookie Recipe

I haven't posted a recipe in a long time and DH loves these. My oven wasn't working and hadn't for a couple of weeks (DH is a procrastinator, too) and he was able to get it going again so I thought I would bake him some cookies.

Power Cookies
from Imperial Sugar Company

2 cups brown sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup shortening
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
3 cups uncooked oats
(or sometimes I like 4 cups oats and 1 cup raisins)
2 cups coconut
2 cups raisins
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts

Cream together butter and shortening with brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda and mix into first mixture. Add remaining ingredients and knead into mixture. Drop by heaping teaspoons, 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets or use parchment like I do. Bake in 350 degree oven for 9 to 10 minutes. You know your oven--just watch them. Makes a lot!

They are sooooo good. There went my diet. Do any of you use olive oil to replace the fat in your recipes? I used a little (1/4 cup when I made these) just to experiment. And just a note I usually reduce the sugar by half a cup. I know you could more but we kinda like our sugar in this house.

DH came home again yesterday by 2:30pm. I haven't got much done lately. I wonder why? One reason--I stay on the computer too much. Another- when DH is home he will talk to me when I'm in another room and I have to come to him and say "What did you say?" I get my exercise anyway. LOL Another - he got a used laptop and got our son-in-law to get it on the internet. DSIL downloaded free virus protection. DH was still getting things showing up. Being less than computer savvy we went to Wal-Mart yesterday and bought a program. Last night I couldn't get the old program off in order to install the new. It shows to be off under our programs but it's still running. I advised DH to take it in and have some computer guru fix it.

Blessings,

Pear Bread Recipe

3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups finely chopped, peeled pears
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs

Into large bowl, sift together first 6 ingredients. Stir in pears; set aside. In small bowl, using mixer at high speed, beat sugar, oil, butter and vanilla until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time; beat until thick and lemon-colored.
Add sugar-egg mixture to dry ingredients; stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into 2 greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2" loaf pans. Bake in 350 degree oven 55 to 60 minutes, or until loaves are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove; cool on racks.

Changes I have made for my personal preference--
I prefer to use 1 teaspoon cinnamon or more instead of ginger and nutmeg and I use 3/4 cup olive oil instead of vegetable oil and butter. I reduce the sugar to 1 1/2 cups.

I learned from a dear woman who in younger years cooked for groups of people to dust my pans with sugar. It gives your bread a wonderful finish.

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Piggy stuff

Thought you might like to see some of my piggy stuff. Two are cookie jars and some are salt shakers and the pink and purple ceramic one--made by DGD Aimee (it has scotch tape--she dropped it before she gave it to Nanaw, bless her heart) and the two pigs wrestling/cuddling I bought for DH. I have more throughout the house but I haven't dusted so you aren't going to see them yet. We are expecting two litters in a little over a week. And then another a week later. It will be the piggy maternity ward around here for awhile.

We had cooler temps yesterday and today. Humidity, yes, but cooler. I picked blackeyed peas this morning and liberated some more okra from the grass. "You are set free little okra; now grow up and make us proud."

This is the empty pie plate. I was in too big a hurry to take a picture Wednesday before we ate it. The Zucchini Pie was good. I want to tweak it a little. It was a little watery. And it needed some more spices of some kind. The recipe called for cayenne pepper. There was no way that I was going to subject 80 and 90 year old little ladies to cayenne pepper. And no, Jan, no cinnamon. Did I tell you that story? No? At retreat Jan cooked a couple dishes for us. She looked in the cabinet for some spices having forgotten to bring some. And all she found was cinnamon. Yes, sigh, cinnamon. We had some garlic bread left over from the lasagna meal I took and we all got hungry Tuesday evening. Jan and Dixie (they're sisters) went in the kitchen to rummage us up something. They took grated cheese, black olives, some mayo, not sure what else, and you guessed it--cinnamon and spread on the garlic bread and heated it up. It smelled really good. I took my first bite not knowing there was cinnamon in it. What a surprise! And me being me said, "It has cinnamon in it!" Jan said, "That was the only spice in the cabinet." Okay. VERY DIFFERENT! We had some good laughs. That wasn't the end of our "only cinnamon" episode. Sigh, no, it was repeated the next morning at breakfast. Kathleen made us Big Mama's French Toast and yes, it has cinnamon; IT'S SUPPOSED TO. Jan thought we needed some protein to go with all that sweet. She made us a sausage/scrambled egg cheese thingy that was really good. Alas, first bite -- you guessed it. Cinnamon! And me being me said, "It's got cinnamon in it." And Jan said, "It is the only spice in the cabinet." I am going to make sure I take some spices next time.

Oh, by the way, the first batch of Zucchini Jam I made I used peach jello. Okay. The next I used apricot jello. Really good. Last year when I made it-just once last year- used strawberry jello. Again okay. I will be making more with apricot jello. I have some raspberry jello. Hmmmmm. And no, no cinnamon.LOL

If you haven't guessed already; no, there isn't anything quilting going on right now. But I am expecting an order in from a supplier. Mostly books and patterns are coming this time. We talked yesterday at Kraz-z Quilters about getting easily distracted. I think I am going to get easily distracted when that order comes in. "Shhh! blackeyed peas, I will shell you later."

Blessings,

Zucchini Bread Recipe

Okay, I have a winner! I love this recipe--Zucchini Bread VI. I made some adjustments--left out the cinnamon (I simply forgot it!)LOL I think I like it better. I used 1/2 cup vegetable oil and filled the remaining amount called for in the recipe with bottled lemon juice and checked it at 50 minutes and it was done. 'Cause I know my oven ; ) . Oh, and I put a glaze on made with powdered sugar and bottled lemon juice. Yum! My picture doesn't look like the one on All Recipes--they must chop their pecans very fine.

Blessings,

A Pasta Salad Recipe

I found this recipe in The Best of Concho Cookery produced by The San Angelo Standard-Times which is a cookbook I got while we lived in San Angelo, Texas. This cookbook represents a twenty-five year gathering of winners in the Concho Cookery Contest sponsored annually by the San Angelo Standard-Times copyrighted 1982.

I have changed up the original to our liking so I will list the original and then my changes. Okay.

One Dish Salad

3 cups cooked rice, cooled (I use pasta--elbow, or twists)
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives (I have used the diced version)
1 pkg. frozen sweet peas, cooked accordeing to pkg. directions (I'm not a fan of these so I omitted
the peas)
1/4 cup chopped pimento
3/4 cup coarsely grated carrots
1/4 cup chopped red onion (any variety will do--the red is pretty)
1 8 oz. pkg. sliced ham, cut into strips ( had our ham from our hogs and diced it and I have used diced chicken and it is equally good)
1 cup cheddar cheese cubes
1/2 pkg. dry Italian salad dressing mix (save the rest for the next salad--no worry--you will probably make it again real soon)
1 cup mayonaise ( I use Miracle Whip) or you can use a lighter version
Tomato wedges (I'm not a fan of tomatoes in pasta salad--soggy)
Lettuce leaves (if you want to be fancy)
I also added chopped celery, red bell peppers(kinda a duplicate with the pimentoes I guess), yellow bell peppers or green bell peppers.

Toss the first eight ingredients in a large salad bowl. Stir the Italian salad dressing mix into the mayonnaise. Add to salad and mix well. Chill. Serve on lettuce leaves and garnish with tomato wedges. Makes a big bowl and is perfect in my opinion for a hot summer evening meal.

If you make this and like it please leave me a comment. If you make changes, let me know I might like YOUR changes.

Blessings and happy quilting,

Recipe

I made this for my Wednesday group, Kraz-z Quilters, yesterday. Sorry, I didn't get a picture and there's one serving left for me for lunch today. Yaay.

Mom's Chicken Potpie

3 cups bite-size pieces, cooked chicken
1 can (10 1/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (10 1/4 oz.) condensed chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon (optional)
1 can (16 oz) peas and carrots, drained or mixed vegetables
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups buttrmilk
1/2 cup (one stick) melted butter

Heat oven to 350. Place chicken in lightly greased 9 X 13 inch baking pan. Mix chicken soup, broth, and tarragon and pour over chicken. Arrange vegetables over chicken mixture. Mix flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add buttermilk and melted butter. Stir to form a thin dough. Pour evenly over chicken mixture. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour until crust browns lightly.

My personal adjustments: I use 26 oz. can of cream of chicken soup (I thought original was dry) and I cook my chicken in water and use that for the broth which is about 1 1/2 cups measured after cooking. I also use two cans veggies and I like the mixed vegetables. Margarine is okay but butter tastes soo much better and of course lite margarine should not be used. I found this recipe in a magazine years ago and when my kids were still living at home I would make this and with the two boys and my husband we were lucky to have enough. :-D

If you make this and like it please let me know. Thanks.

Blessings,

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

I had a nice chat with my hairdresser yesterday and got caught up with her. She's been cutting my hair probably ten years or more! Went to Wal-Mart afterwards to get things we needed and then ate lunch. I then answered phone calls and made a few. Quilt club members wanting to see what food I am bringing for Wednesday to our Christmas party. Then I got to quilt. I didn't get quite done, so this morning I will get back in there and finish up.

My daughter-in-law called to say that she had to Mason to the doctor; he cried during the night and was screaming yesterday morning. His ear infection had still not cleared up from the week of Thanksgiving. SO more medicine. He didn't cry at all with us. But that is exactly how his daddy did when he was baby. I will call today to check on them.

I need to make a phone call to my DD to finalize plans for Christmas. Man, when the kids are "all growed up" Christmas is not simple anymore. You have multiple families to plan around. But it is just planning and we will "get r done".

Here is what I am taking Wednesday for our party.

Cranberry Relish

1 pound fresh cranberries

1 navel orange

2 large red apples

2 cups sugar (adjust to taste)

1 cup nuts, chopped ( I use pecans)

Wash cranberries and sort through. Wash oranges and apples. Process in food processor until nicely chopped. Add sugar and nuts. Stir to combine. Store in refrigerator. The longer this sits the better. Good with ham and turkey or even vanilla ice cream!

found in Texas Co-op Power sent in by Vera Elkins

See you later.

Checking in. Two days before Thanksgiving Day. Our weather is very warm --sixties at night and near eighty for a high. But tomorrow is a different story; so says the weather people. Cold front coming will drop temps to the forties during the day. Big difference! The next few days will be busy. I have some machine quilting to do for my quilting club--charitable quilts for our local women's shelter and catching up on my own and I am making the roll recipe below to try on my club for Wednesday as a trial run. One lady is bringing chowder (yum).

I am making rolls and probably a pecan pie to take for Thanksgiving. I found the recipe for the rolls at http://allrecipes.com/ and the pecan pie recipe is one from Imperial Sugar. I made the rolls last week as a trial run. They were super easy. I put everything in my bread maker on the dough cycle. I do think they need just a little salt and I will add some to those I make today. Hope you enjoy.

Cake Mix Yeast Rolls

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (9 ounce) package yellow cake mix (Jiffy mix in our area) or half of a regular cake mix
1/4 cup margarine, melted (I use butter)
2 egg whites, beaten
2 tablespoons poppy seeds (I skipped the egg whites and poppy seeds)

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the flour and cake mix. Beat until dough is smooth. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Lightly grease two baking sheets.

Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into rounds. Let rest 5 minutes and then roll into 12 inch circles. Cut each circle into 10 wedges. Brush with melted margarine. Roll up the wedges, beginning at the wide end. Place on prepared baking sheets with the end of the roll on the bottom. Brush the rolls with beaten egg whites. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

These are very good and tender and rise up into very light and fluffy rolls. I did turn my oven up to 375 degrees and like I said I think they need just a little salt.

Texas Pecan Pie

from Imperial Sugar Company

1 1/2 cups brown sugar (firmly packed)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups pecan halves

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

9" unbaked pie shell

Combine first five ingredients in small bowl and mix well. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add evaporated milk and mix well. Stir in pecan halves and vanilla. (or I like to arrange my pecans in the pie shell and then pour the liquid on). Mix well and turn into unbaked 9" piec shell. Bake in preheated 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes or until filling is puffed in center and well browned.