KARI'S RECIPE

 

I made this recipe for our Easter Sunday breakfast last week.

A little bitty piece came back home.

It is very good,

DECADENT, in fact.

 

CINNAMON ROLL CAKE

 

Cake: 

3 C. flour               Mix all ingredients together except for the butter. Slowly

1/4 t. salt              stir in melted butter and pour into a greased 9 X 13 pan.

1 C. sugar

4 t. baking powder

1 1/2 C. milk

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla

1/2 C. butter, melted

 

Topping: 

1 C. butter softened     Mix all together.  Drop evenly over batter & swirl

1C. brown sugar          with a knife.  Bake at 350 degrees for 28 - 32 min.

2 T. flour                                     

1 T. cinnamon

 

Glaze: 

2 C.  powdered sugar     Drizzle over warm cake.

5 T. milk

1 t. vanilla

 

If I make this again, I will cut the butter for the topping to 1/2 C.  Not only is it decadent, it is also unnecessary in my opinion.  I know that Kari thought this was easier and/or faster than making cinnamon rolls.  However I did everything possible on Saturday night and still spent about 20 on it on Sunday morning.

 





Almond Cookie Recipe

1 cup margarine (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. pure almond extract (is some almond extract not pure?)
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Cream margarine and sugar. Add extract and mix well.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Mix into margarine mixture.
Roll into balls. Press down with a fork dipped in water.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Yummy!
***Sara announced a diet when I told her about these good cookies.
I am hoping that the walking and gardening will take care of the cookies,
and get rid of the winter layer of blubber that we need to keep warm
around here in the winter.

LIGHTS OUT!

Last night we had a huge wind storm and the lights went out.
No problem! I've washed dishes with very little light before. This time with a flash light.

The problem was that I was baking cookies for our cookie exchange which took place tonight.
The above pic is of how Golden Tassies are supposed to look.
The sad story is that there was a batch in the oven when the power went off.
I left them there because they were not done baking.
Then I ran around with the flash light turning off what I remembered had been on.
HOWEVER...
I didn't remember the oven. I woke with a START this morning.

This is how my Golden Tassies looked!
Oh well! I had more pecans, cream cheese, etc., so I started over again.

Saturday Nite Surprise Supper

I don't know when we have had EBLESKIVERS,
but I thought of them on Saturday and decided to make a surprise for supper.

Ebleskivers are a type of Danish ball-shaped pancakes.
You must have the ebleskiver pan to make them.

The batter is dropped into the pan and then a small spoonful of applesauce is added.
This applesauce was from our Yellow Transparent tree at the farm.

The applesauce is covered over with batter.
The tendency is to turn the ebleskivers over too soon,
especially when you haven't made them for ages...
you are anxious to eat them...
and you don't remember to be patient.

They are a bit tedious to make,
probably harder to wait if there are many people waiting to eat them.

They are eaten with pure New Brunswick maple syrup
and they are yummy!
You'll notice that I knocked the syrup over in my haste.
I don't think I will wait as long to make them again.

Apples and Blueberries

The blueberries are beautiful but not plentiful. It looks like something has done a lot of eating in our field. The field needs cutting too. I only got this little bowl and doubt that I will try for more with all that is going on. The apples (yummy yellow transparents for pies and sauce) are plentiful but not quite ripe. I brought some home and made apple sauce. I added sugar and...
sprinkled liberally with...
SEASONED SALT!!!
OH NO!!! UGH!
Fortunately I was able to scrape it out and add cinnamon.
The apple sauce is good!

Who's Laughing Now?

Years ago, when the kids were still young, I bought three raspberry plants and planted them. They all laughed at me because they didn't think my three plants would do much. In a few years I was able to pick enough berries every few days for a fresh berry pie. Those raspberries are long gone, but I have a good patch now and this year has been a super raspberry year.
I have picked about 2 litres every day but it is slowing down now. As I pick, I say to myself, "Who's laughing now?!"

Raspberries, the food of choice around here

Just plain old raspberries,
but we happened to have some whipping cream

Tonight we had raspberry pie...
no pic...
we are not set up for company!

You are cordially invited...

...OOPS! It is all gone! Lobster on Friday night...
early Mother's Day...
sweet, thoughtful husband...
line-up because of the good price attracted his attention.
Yummy!

A Dessert to Die for...or maybe die because of...

(Flip side of recipe:
Freeze - do not stir during freezing. Spoon onto chilled dessert plates. Serves 10-12
I made 2/3 recipe which filled a 9X13". It is rich, so you don't need much at one time...
just over and over again! There's some in our freezer now, but we are hoarding it!)

We had this dessert y-e-a-r-s ago at the Athletic Club in Minneapolis with Dr., Mrs. Clearwaters and Jane as guests of Mrs. Harriet Bratrud. Some years later I found the recipe in the newspaper, I think. I have only made it a few times, but it is DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS!!! (The prime rib was good too all those years ago at the top of the Atletic Club in Minneapolis with Dr. & Mrs. Clearwaters, Jane and Mrs. Bratrud! Doc told the waiter to measure the prime rib by his foot. Funny, the things you never forget.)

Mrs. Clean Was Here!

I don't know why she didn't stop in on one of the days when my kitchen was as neat as a pin...
not even dishes drying in the antique wire rack. But Mr. & Mrs. Clean stopped in on Saturday after eating their lunch off their kitchen floor,
(or at least they could)
and using the dining room floor instead of a mirror when they combed their hair,
(or at least they could!)

Now all the traffic at our house comes to our kitchen door.
You can't even get to the front door now unless you want to wade through the snow...
no reason or way to get there. And much of my activity happens in the kitchen.

So...
Mr. & Mrs. Clean went for a walk with their Clean doggy and stopped here on Saturday.
Friday was a busy, busy day:
a treatment at the chiropractor's,
running some errands,
a cake in the oven for our Valentine's Day game night,
returned a phone call and it turned out to be a l-o-n-g talk,
made a taco dip for the party,
went to the party, came home and watched the Olympics Opening Ceremony while yawning,
to bed very late and not moving around too fast in the morning. I was attacking the mess...
AND THEN
Mrs. Clean dropped in. I guess I needed a lesson in humility! Problem is...
She will probably stop in again when I am in another mess!

Here's the Carrot Cake I made for the party.
It is the one which won over my husband-to-be!
My mom would send a whole carrot cake to me in college.
One half went to my boy friend
who later became my husband. (My mom was a good one for helping out!)

*Cream cheese icing was not part of this cake recipe.
I added it upon request and then decided that we really don't need more calories and fat.
It is good enough without it!

And Valentine's Day has always been an important day for us. On our first Valentine's Day, we were in the college Valentine Formal play together. That was in 1962! Figure it out!

New Recipes

In the last two days I have tried two new recipes:
Hearty Ham Casserole and Stuffed Pepper Soup (scroll down to find that one). They are both delicious! I will definitely make them again.

Unbelievable Sandwiches!

You must see Funky Lunch! These sandwiches are amazing!

Fall Comfort Food

I was just wishing that I had some pumpkin so that I could make Sara's Pumpkin Cake. It looks so delicious and like real comfort food. (It is fun when you use your daughter's recipes!) Since I am feeling flu-ish and needing something comfortable, I got out the apples and peanut butter. That's a great fall favorite from long ago college days. The only thing I am missing is the dorm room and I can live without that. Oh yes, a cup of tea too, of course!

Good Recipes!

This looks like Blueberry Pie but it is actually Peach Blueberry Pie.
I use a peach pie recipe but put in 1 to 1 1/2 C. of blueberries and decrease the peaches by that much. I guess 1 C. would be enough. Today I happened to have very few ripe peaches, so I used the larger blueberry amount. I just said that to say that the pie is not the absolutely best today, but it is still GOOD!

Zucchini Season

Cheesy Garden Casserole

1 package (7 1/4 oz.) long grain minute rice (I used a wild/long grain mix)
3 cups zucchini, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
2 cups spaghetti sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Cook rice according to the package. Simmer vegetables until tender. Drain well. Put 1/2 of the rice in a greased 8X12 casserole, half the veggies, cheddar cheese and 1/2 the spaghetti sauce on top. Layer again. Cover with Swiss cheese. Bake for 35 minutes uncovered at 375 degrees.

*I used about 2 1/2 cups cheddar total, no Swiss and topped with Parmesan cheese when I made it this time.

I guess I need to read my own recipes. I looked through my blog recipes and notice some I have not remembered to make again.

NEW RECIPE

Veggie Cheese Dish
(I found this recipe in the newspaper today and it is yummy! I love things that can be prepared before hand when we have company. This time I even made it just for us, to see if we like it. We do! This is the way I came upon a great favorite of ours: Gourmet Shepherd's Pie. I must see if I have ever posted it, because it is another good one!)

2 C broccoli
1 C cauliflower
1 green onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 C grated cheddar cheese

Cut up broccoli and cauliflower, bring water to a boil and simmer for 5 min; drain and cool.  Put into casserole dish.  Mix onion, soup, eggs, mayo and cheese.  Pour over veggies.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Mix croutons and melted butter.  Sprinkle on top.  Bake at 350 for 45 min.
***I would cut down on the mayo.  It was a little soupy, and maybe let it sit 10 min. when it comes out of the oven.

Topping: 1/2 C grated cheddar cheese, 1/2 C melted butter (I used way less),
Croutons (I use cubed soft bread.)
* This casserole was better the day after! It wasn't as soupy, but wasn't dry either.

LADIES' BRUNCH

Today we had our first Ladies' Brunch. The men get together on a regular basis for breakfast and prayer for other men. (We get quite a kick out of their plans.) They work on teams and take turns making the breakfasts. Soooo today I had the brunch at our house and it was fun! We are working on a ladies' prayer list and have plans for brunch on a regular basis too. Our emphasis is witnessing to and praying for ladies. We need encouragement and prayer support from the others. There were 12 of us stuffed around our table. I could make the table bigger so we could all fit comfortably but there isn't enough room to do that. So next time and hereafter, we will meet at the church with two different ladies treating us to brunch each time. I had my camera ready but with all the hub-bub, didn't get any pics. Maybe next time!

I did not get pics, but I have a yummy recipe. This one is from Sandy Mawhinney who is a super duper cook. I posted some of her recipes here before.

Mediterranean Layered Pie

Saute 1 chopped onion and 1 clove garlic (minced) in 1 T. butter
Mix together 1 - 10 oz. bag of spinach or broccoli (I cooked the broccoli)
8 oz. sliced or shaved ham
8 oz. mozzarella cheese (grated) (I used cheddar - so much for following the recipe, eh? Sorry Sandy!)
1 red pepper chopped
4 beaten eggs

Put into a deep dish pie plate. Bake at 400 degrees (I hate that Blogger doesn't seem to have the little degree sign!) for 35-40 min.

I doubled the recipe and used a 9X13" pan. Sandy calls for this in a pie crust, but she is one of the few people I know who can afford to eat a pie crust with this. They say "never trust a skinny cook" but she is absolutely trustworthy when it comes to cooking. If you could visit her B&B, you'd know what I mean! And I didn't get this recipe from Sandy, but from my sister, Cheryl, who got it from Sandy. If you haven't tried it, Cheryl, you'd love it!!!

New Recipe

BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN BAKE
I found this recipe in a magazine while I was at Sara's.
IT IS GOOD - at least for a bruschetta lover like me!

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package (6 oz.) stove top stuffing for chicken
1/2 C. water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bit-sized pieces
1 teaspoon basil leaves
1 C. shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix tomatoes, stuffing, water, and garlic until stuffing is moistened. Layer chicken, basil, cheese and stuffing in a 9X13" pan or a 3 quart casserole dish. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Blackberries and Barb's Pickles

It is blackberry season at the farm
and the blackberries are very good!
We never did get to really pick blueberries...it was either wet or we were not there!
We don't know if there will be any left when we have the chance.

I made Barb's Pickles, Sara. I hope I can get some to you sometime!

Raspberry Season

Many of the raspberry canes were broken this spring because of all the heavy snow of last winter. I didn't know if we would have any raspberries, but we have had two fresh raspberry pies* and I made two batches of jam so far.

*Pie Recipe
4 cups of fresh raspberries in a baked pie crust
sprinkle powdered (icing) sugar in the bottom of the crust first

Top with a glaze made with:
1 cup raspberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Boil in the microwave for a few minutes
Add 3 tablespoons of corn starch
Microwave again for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes
Pour over the fresh berries
Serve with REAL whipping cream on top!

Sorry no pic! The pie is GONE...maybe next time!
(This is good with fresh blueberries which are coming soon or strawberries.)

Yummy recipes

I have never tasted anything made by Sandy, our B&B hostess, that was not super good! Here are two recipes of hers. She made both for us for our Friday night supper. All the food was super! I hope to get the breakfast fritata recipe too.

Romaine with Oranges

2 romaine lettuce
1 can mandarin oranges
1 C. chopped pecans (roasted in oven about 1-2 minutes)

Dressing:
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1/4 C. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 Tbsp. water
Mix dressing in just before serving.

Chicken with Tomato, Mushrooms & Cheese

boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes
mozzarella cheese
fresh mushrooms
basil
garlic powder (as much as you like)
salt & pepper

Put small amount of tomatoes on bottom of casserole dish. Layer chicken on top. Sprinkle basil, garlic powder, salt & pepper on chicken breasts. Cover with rest of diced tomatoes. Slice as many mushrooms as you like on top. Cover with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and basil. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes.