29 Wednesday Jan 2020
Posted in Comfort Food, Cookies, Nostalgia
At Christmas time I decided to make several different sugar cookie recipes in a quest to find my favorite. Kristina recommended this recipe
Sally’s Baking Addiction has a lot of great recipes you should check out. The thing I love most about this recipe is that the cookies hold their shape and do not spread too much. They are also sturdy and don’t crumble when toddler hands are frosting them. Best of all they are seriously tasty.
11 Tuesday Jun 2019
Posted in Jello, Nostalgia, Salads, Side Dishes, Summer
Ingredients-
Method-
05 Thursday Apr 2018
A few months ago Sister Tucker made a version of this for our Pathway class. It was so good. I thanked her and said, “It tastes like home.” She told me that was the best compliment.
Makes 24-30 pieces
1 3/4 cup flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk (or mix 1 cup of milk with 1 Tbl vinegar)*
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a large jelly roll pan or cookie baking sheet.
• Bring 1 cup of water to boil in a small pan, or microwave it for about 3 minutes.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Add the buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer for 30 seconds.
• Add 1 cup boiling water and carefully stir until the water is mixed in; beat for 1 1/2 minutes.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean from the center. Don’t under bake the cake! I’ve done it. It’s not as good as you’d think it would be.
While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting…
Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
3/4 cup buttermilk (or mix 3/4 cup milk with 2 tsp vinegar)*
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla
32 oz bag of powdered sugar (about 8 cups)
5-6 cups marshmallows
• In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, buttermilk, and cocoa powder.
• Cook, stirring frequently, just until it comes to a boil. Then remove the pan from the heat.
• Pour the mixture into a clean bowl, add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat with an electric mixer till smooth.
• Pour in the marshmallows and mix in with a spatula.
• Then pour the warm frosting over the hot cake when it comes out. THIS IS KEY. It’s best to frost while the cake is hot, so the marshmallows puff up slightly and become nice and gooey soft.
* I often use the milk and vinegar trick because who always keeps buttermilk in the refrigerator. It will turn out fine, but I think buttermilk just makes the cake and frosting so much better. It’s worth the trip to the store to get a quart!
19 Wednesday Sep 2012
Posted in Autumn, Casseroles, Chicken, Comfort Food, Freezer meals, Main Dishes, Nostalgia
This recipe is great for freezing. I put the filling in my Emile Henry Gratinee bowls, top with crust and put the whole thing in a freezer bag. Once they are frozen the dishes can be stacked to take up less space. I can get 4 or 5 individual servings from this recipe. Sometimes I double it so I can have extra to freeze.
Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
3-4 tablespoons milk
Filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion chopped
1 large carrot chopped
2 large potatoes
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
1 cup half and half
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
salt and pepper to taste
To make the crust, stir the flour, Parmesan, and salt together in a bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it looks like coarse meal. Pour in 3 tablespoons of milk and mix quickly with a fork until moistened. If the dough is dry add one more teaspoon of milk. Gather the dough together and wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
To make the filling, melt the butter in large non-stick pan. Add the onion, carrot and potatoes and cook, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the flour and stir for one minute until the vegetables are coated. Stir in the broth. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the peas, half and half and tarragon. Simmer about five more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the filling into a deep 2 quart baking dish.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to fit the inside dimensions of the baking dish. Trim off any rough edges. place the dough on top of the filling. Bake in a 400F degree oven until the crust is golden brown, 35-40 minutes.
04 Monday Jul 2011
Posted in Comfort Food, Main Dishes, Nostalgia, Pies
I had never made a shepherd’s pie until we moved to London 10 years ago. (Has it really been 10 years since I have lived in the USA?) It doesn’t seem that long. It was quickly added to Rick and Alex’s list of favorites. Alex even ordered a giant portion of it at the Cheesecake Factory when I was in San Antonio last week. I told him that it was really simple to make and that I would post the recipe here. This recipe is adapted from the Leith’s Cookery Bible by Prue Leith and Caroline Waldgrave. They run a cooking school in London.
Ingredients-
1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
8 oz frozen mixed vegetables
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups beef broth (made with bouillon cubes)
*2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
*2 teaspoons tomato paste
Topping-
2 lbs mashed potatoes and grated cheddar
Method-
Brown the ground beef and chopped onion in a large frying pan. Add the vegetables and mix well. Next sprinkle with the flour and mix to coat the ground beef and vegetables and cook for about 30 seconds until lightly browned. Slowly add the beef broth and bring to a boil stirring continuously until the sauce is thickened. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste and add salt and pepper to taste. Tip the mixture into an ovenproof dish and top with the mashed potatoes and cheese. Bake at 400 degrees about 20-30 minutes until the potato is slightly brown and crusty.
* The Worcestershire sauce and the tomato paste are key ingredients in this recipe it will not taste like a true shepherd’s pie without them.
10 Sunday Jan 2010
Posted in Casseroles, Main Dishes, Nostalgia
Recently, Rick and I were discussing how our eating patterns have changed over the years. I grew up eating more meat and potatoes and he grew up eating casseroles. I had never eaten a casserole until I met him and ate his mother’s cooking. So after we married I cooked many casseroles. I thought you might enjoy having some of these recipes and it might even be more fun to cook some of them at a reunion or another time when we are together. Let me know if you decide to try out any of these nostalgic recipes.
Grandma Carruth’s Chinese Hamburger
1 pound ground beef
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 can water
2 tablespoons or less soy sauce (the original recipe called for 1/4 cup and it was too salty I haven’t made this for ages so it might still be really salty with 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup raw long grain rice
1 small can of the crunchy type chow mein noodles (do they even make these anymore??)
Brown meat and vegetables in a frying pan and drain the grease. Combine everything except the chow mein noodles and put in a casserole dish and bake covered at 350 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle noodles on top and bake for an additional 10 minutes
Grandma Carruth’s Rice Casserole
This was always served as a side dish to ham. The recipe originally called for 1 stick (4oz) of butter. I have reduced to 2 tablespoons and have even left out the butter entirely and it is much better. One stick just makes greasy rice, but we actually ate that way when she cooked it.
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup long grain rice
1 can French onion soup
1 soup can water
Sliced almonds
Melt butter and combine with rice, soup and water in a casserole dish. Sprinkle almonds evenly on the top and bake covered at 350 degrees for 60 minutes
Nana’s Chicken Chestnut Casserole
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup diced celery
1 cup sliced water chestnuts
1 cup long grain rice
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup soft buttered bread crumbs *(see directions below)
1 package slivered almonds (optional)
Cook rice according to directions and set aside. Boil chicken breasts with onion and a little poultry seasoning, salt and pepper until done. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and put in a 9 X 13 pan. Top with celery, water chestnuts and rice. Mix lemon juice, salt, mayonnaise and soup until well combined. Pour into pan and fold all the ingredients together. Top with bread crumbs and sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
*Bread Crumbs
I used sliced bread or leftover buns for this. I would grate several on my grated to make soft crumbs. Then melt 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter in a non-stick frying pan and add the crumbs stirring until just browned.
Tuna Rice Casserole
This is from a Relief Society Cookbook
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup raw long grain rice cooked
1/4 cup chopped pimento
1 can tuna drained
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
Brown the onions and green pepper in butter. Add the flour and stir until the vegetables are well coated. Slowly add the milk and stir until thickened. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bake in a casserole dish at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
28 Monday Sep 2009
Posted in Main Dishes, Nostalgia
1 ½ pounds ground beef
2/3 cup cracker crumbs
½ cup minced onions
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup brown sugar
1 can (13 ½ ounces) pineapple chunks
Drained reserving juice
1/3 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
Mix beef, crumbs, onion, egg, salt, ginger and milk thoroughly. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoons into balls. Spray frying pan with non-stick spray and cook meatballs. Remove from pan and keep warm.
Mix cornstarch and sugar. Drain fat from pan and add reserved pineapple juice, vinegar, and soy sauce and mix well. Stir in cornstarch/sugar mixture and cook over medium heat until thickened. Add meatballs and green pepper; heat through.