Family Heritage Cookbook

The Cisco Kids 9th birthday cake

2012-02-05T02:38:00.000-08:00

Every year I make The Cisco Kid a theme cake. He loves the Angry Birds games. So Angry Birds cake it is.

I found a new cupcake cake mix that I bake it into a cake instead of the cupcakes. It's by Betty Crocker and it's called Fun da-middles. They are cupcakes with cream baked inside. Instead of putting the batter in cupcake cups I put the batter in a cake tin. To make The Cisco Kids Cake I used two boxes so the cake is nice and tall. I used lots of different kinds of chocolate bars to make the structure. I made all the Angry Birds characters out of molded chocolate. Then I covered the cake with putter cream icing.

Wonderful Butter Cream Icing. Publix recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 lb	butter
2 c	Crisco vegetable shortening
1 tsp	vanilla extract
1 tsp	butter flavoring
1/2 tsp	almond extract
2 lb	confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp	salt
1 Tbsp	meringue powder
1 Tbsp	milk, if needed

Directions

MIX BUTTER, CRISCO, AND SALT TOGETHER ON LOW SPEED FOR 5 MINUTES. ADD VANILLA, BUTTER FLAVOR, AND ALMOND EXTRACT. BEAT UNTIL WELL BLENDED. TURN MIXER ON TO THE LOWEST SPEED THE MIXER HAS, ADD SUGAR 1/2 CUP AT A TIME UNTIL SUGAR IS MIXED IN. TURN MIXER UP TO MEDIUM SPEED AND BEAT UNTIL SMOOTH AND CREAMY. THIS SHOULD TAKE 5 MINUTES.

SOME TIPS: SIFT SUGAR IT HELPS KEEP THE LUMPIES AWAY...
MERINGUE POWDER AND BUTTER FLAVORING CAN BE FOUND WHERE CAKE DECORATING SUPPLIES ARE SOLD.

Phineas & Ferb Cake

2012-01-27T16:56:00.001-08:00

Our third annual Cub Scout Cake Auction was a huge success. All scouts are to bring in two cakes. We brought a Phineas & Ferb themed cake and a devil's food chocolate cake.

The first cake was a Phineas & Ferb cake. The story is....Perry stole Dr Doofensmurf, Rayinator and put it on the Ski lift. Dr Doofensmurf is watching him get away from the top of the mountain. Phineas & Ferb has a very large fan on the back of their snow board to get them down the mountain with minimal work. Candace is stuck on top of the mountain with a ski problem.

The cake was a vanilla pound cake with cookies and cream filling and vanilla butter cream. All characters are made out of chocolate. I used The Cake Boss's sponge cake recipe.

I used a 10 inch round and a 12 x 24 inch square with a total of three batches of cake batter.

Making the batter

He is making rice crispy treats to make the mountain ski slopes on the cake.

Grinding up the orio cookies to put in the cream for the filling.

The second cake was a chocolate devil's food cake with vanilla cream center and chocolate fruit.

The Cake Boss Sponge cake recipe.

It is a scratch recipe, and the secret to its light and fluffy texture is the beating of the eggs! This recipe is best made in a stand mixer.

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup butter (lightly salted)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1. Beat eggs in large mixing bowl with paddle attachment for 4 minutes. Do not skip this step!

2. Add sugar, and continue beating for another 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and stir on low until just combined.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Add to eggs and sugar on low speed until just combined.

4. In a saucepan, heat milk and butter on low heat just until butter is melted. Add to batter, beat just until combined.

5. Pour into two greased and floured 8" round cake pans.

6. Bake at 325 until the middle springs back when touched, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let stand in pans for 10 minutes. Then turn out onto wire cooling racks and cool completely.

Hint: Cakes are close to being done when you start to smell them.

Molding Chocolate Recipe

8 oz. of white vanilla chocolate bark

1/3 cup of corn syrup

mix together and colors if you desire.

Store in a baggie.

Three Days Of Baking

2011-12-17T14:48:00.001-08:00

I have spent three days baking all my Christmas Cookies. I made ten different kinds including three new recipes. The new Cookies are Italian Pizzelles and Date nut cookie. The third cookie was a total accident. I was going for my chocolate dipped lady finger cookies and I added to much butter. The result was these spectacularly crispy and chewy cookies. I like crispy cookies and chewy cookies and now I have the best of both worlds in one cookie. Now if that was not good enough, I added chocolate and nuts to the edges.

This is the result!

The delicious crispy and chewy cookie.

1 cup butter plus 3 taclespoons
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1tea. vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet Bark Coating
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:
Cream 1 cup butter and sugar. Add flour and vanilla, mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Shape dough into logs 1/2 inch wide' cut log 2-1/2 inches long. Place on un-greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. In a Microwave melt chocolate and remaining butter. Dip one end of each cookie into chocolate and then into nuts. Place on waxed paper until chocolate cools and hardens.
Once the batter refrigerated for at least one hour, roll the dough into small balls.

The Second Cookie is the Date Nut Cookie.

1/2 cup butter softened

3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of honey
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tea. Baking powder
1/4 tea salt.
1 cup of dried Dates
1 cup of chopped peacan

Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, honey and egg together. Gradually add dry ingredients. Blend the nuts and apricots with a spoon. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Once chilled, roll into 1-1/2 inch balls and flatten the tops. Place on an ungreased baking sheet about one inch apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10- minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.

Chopped Dates

Chopped Pecans

Italian Pizzelles. A light crispy cookie.

3 eggs, beaten
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter (melted)
3 c. sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. anise extract

Add and beat ingredients together in order listed. Drop by rounded spoonful onto center of preheated grid (pizzelle maker). Close lid, allow to cook until steaming stops (30-60 seconds). Cool on wire rack. Store in airtight container.

Stromboli

2011-10-28T10:39:00.001-07:00

These Stromboli's can be served as an appetizer or a main course. Both could also be served with a side of tomato sauce.

Ingredients:
3-1 lb fresh or frozen dough. I use Bridgeford frozen Ready Douth.
2- 6 oz. package of sliced pepperoni
1 lb. of 98% fat free ham, sliced 1/4 inch in length
2 large green bell peppers, sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 cups Shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 egg scrambled
Your favorite Tomato Sauce for dipping

Directions:
Roll the dough to the size of aproximatly 19 inches x 6 inches. That length will depend on if you like a thinner or thicker crust. If you like a thicker crust, roll the dough to 15 inches x 5 inches. I like a thin crust. If the dough is to long for you to handle, just cut it in half and work with two smaller pieces. That is what you see in the picture. I prefer to fill them with pepperoni, ham, green bell pepper and mozzarella cheese. You can fill them with anything you like. I do recommend that with any ingredients you may use, always include the Mozzarella cheese.
Scramble one egg and set aside. Once you have rolled out your dough, start layering all your ingredients down the center, starting with the pepperoni and ending with the Mozzarella. Now you can start to close the Stromboli by bringing both sides of the dough around and overlapping them. Then fold the two ends closed. If your dough will not stick together you can dip your fingers into the scrambled egg and run it along the seam.

Place the Stromboli on a greased or lined cookie sheet seam side down. Generously rub the scrambled egg all over the Stromboli’s.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or golden brown.

Serve with a side dish of tomato sauce for dipping. Each one lb loaf of dough will complete a 20 inch long or two 10 inch long Stromboli's.

Serving the Stromboli as a main course
Cut Stromboli in half and serve with a side of tomato sauce. Serves 8

Serving the Stromboli as an appetizer
Cut into 2 inch pieces and place on a serving tray with tomato sauce. Approximately 80 pieces.

Hints: When cutting the bell pepper into your 1/4 inch slices, slice the two ends off where it curves. The curves have a tendency to puncture through the dough.

Thanks Kim from "Pair Slices"and Heather from Oswalds Cuties for participating in "What would your children say"? Wednesday.

Coconut Crusted Chicken

2011-06-30T10:46:00.001-07:00

We eat chicken at least three times a week. I make chicken parmajana, grilled tarayaki chicken, chicken maranated in italian dressing, chicken dry rubed in italian seasonings, BBQ chicken, cajin chicken, the list goes on and on.

Last week I defrosted some chicken not knowing what I was going to make for dinner, but I knew it was going to have chicken in it. When it came time to start cooking I was so tired of the same old chicken meals. I went into my pantry and stood there, just staring at everything. I stood there, and I stood there some more. Then I went to the fridge and looked at all the condiments. I just stared at them. Nothing jumped out at me. So I went back to the pantry and stood there looking for something, anything that I could use to make something different. Then, a beacon of WHITE! This was it! Coconut! The Coconut Crusted Chicken was born. Crunchy outside, Sweet goodness taste through out, tender moist chicken inside. HAAAAAA!

This is what you will need to make this outstanding summer, super yummy coconut crusted chicken.
4 chicken breasts
2 eggs scrambled
1/2 cup of oil

For the Coconut Crust
1-14 oz. bag of angel flake coconut sweetened
1-1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1 tea cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon salt

Put 1/2 of the bag of shredded coconut in a food processor with the remaining ingredients and pulse until the mixture looks like flour. Remove from food processor and put in a large bowl. Add the remaining coconut. Mix well. This will be more than you will need for 4 chicken breast. Take half of the amount, put in a plastic baggie and freeze. This keeps very well.

Frying
Put the oil in a frying pan and heat on medium/high. Let the oil get hot before putting the chicken in.
Dip the chicken in the scrambled egg. Then put the chicken in the coconut mixture and coat well. Press the mixture on very tight. Do not coat the chicken and set it aside until you get the oil ready. The coconut mixture will not stay on tightly. Fry the chicken fully before turning and be gentle. This will insure your coating will all stay on and look beautiful.

Pineapple pecan chutney
2 cups of fresh pineapple cut in small cubs
2 tablespoons of splenda brown sugar
1/2 cup of raisins
1/2 cup of pecans
1/2 cup of water
1/2 tea cayenne pepper
1 tea cinnamon
1/4 tea salt

Add all the above ingredients in a small pot and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes or until everything is very tender.

The completed meal. Sliced strawberries on the side are optional.

All ingredients needed for this recipe.
1 bag of angel flake coconut sweetened
1-1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1 tea cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 large strawberries (optional)
2 eggs
4 chicken breasts cleaned and dried

For the pineapple pecan chutney
2 cups of fresh pineapple cut in small cubs
2 tablespoons of splenda brown sugar
1/2 cup of raisins
1/2 cup of pecans
1/2 cup of water
1/2 tea cayenne pepper
1 tea cinnamon
1/4 tea salt

Cream of mushroom soup

2011-05-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

This cream of mushroom soup is so easy and full of flavor.

1 lb of fresh mushrooms cleaned, diced and sautéed

2 cloves of garlic, Remove skin and leave them whole

½ gallon of whole milk

32 oz. Vegetable broth

1 small onion diced

2 tablespoons of butter

1/8 cup of olive oil

4 tablespoons of flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

First make a roux. A roux gives lots of flavor to the soup and thickens it.

To make a roux you add 2 tablespoons of butter in a small pan and melt. Then add 4 tablespoons of flour and cook on low heat for approximately three minutes.

Add ½ cup of milk to the roux mixture and blend, making sure there are no lumps.

In a separate shallow pan add 1/8 cup of olive oil. Once olive oil is hot add 1 small diced onion and cook until tender. Then add 1 lb. of clean, fresh sliced mushrooms and cook until tender.

Take all the ingredient and add them to a large soup pot including whole garlic cloves. Simmer for 45 minutes, string occasionally. Before serving remove the garlic and throw away.

This is the best Cream of Mushroom soup.

Scalloped potatoes

2011-04-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

Scalloped potatoes are one of my favorite side dishes. You can prepare them a couple of days in advance and just pop them in the oven 1-1/2 hours prior to dinner.
You will need an 8x 11 baking dish at least three inches deep. Peel and cut your potatoes into 1/8 inch slices. Put some milk and a table spoon of butter on the bottom of the baking dish.
Now you can start layering all your ingredients. Lay down a layer of potatoes then sprinkle with flour, add a small amount of pepper and salt. Then sprinkle a layer of cheese. Every other layer spread one tablespoon of butter. Repeat this process ½ inch from the top of the baking dish. Once all the ingredients are layered put ½ cup of chopped fresh parsley on top and full with milk.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1-1/2 hours.

Ingredients:

5 lb. bag of potatoes peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
Flour
2 cups colby jack shredded cheese
Milk
3 tablespoons of butter
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Cranberry walnut bread pudding with vanilla custard sauce

2011-04-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

For Easter Sunday I made a Bread Pudding that turned out very delicious. I have come across many bread pudding recipes and they all use Italian bread. I thought it would be a better tasting bread pudding if the bread itself was full of flavor. I went to Publix and they sell a Cranberry walnut loaf that is very delicious.

Start with a 3 QT. baking dish and cut the loaf of bread into one inch cubes and put them in the baking dish. Add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup of dried cranberries. Set aside.

In a separate bowl scramble four eggs with 2 cup of cream and 2 cups of milk. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla and one cup of splenda brown sugar or if you are not sugar conscience use one cup of regular light brown sugar. Beat the ingredients together well. Pour the liquid mixture over the top of the bread and refrigerate overnight.

When you are ready to bake the bread pudding preheat the oven on 350 degrees and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, depending on how dry you like your bread pudding.

Ingredients:

One loaf of Publix cranberry walnut loaf.
2 cup's of cream
2 cups of milk
4 eggs scrambled
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 cup of splenda brown sugar or one cup of light brown sugar
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
1/2 cup of cranberries

Vanella custard sauce:

1/2 c. splenda brown sugar or light brown sugar

1 tbsp. all-purpose flour

dash of nutmeg

1 large egg

2 tbsp. butter

1 1/4 c. whipping cream

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

if you would like to make this a rum sauce just add 1/8 cup of rum.

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and cook on medium heat until thickened.

Crispy Sugar Cookies

2010-12-14T13:13:00.000-08:00

This is the fifth of twelve posts on my Family Heritage Christmas cookies. Every Monday from now until Christmas I will share my full collection of Christmas cookie recipes with you. My Christmas cookie collection consists of twelve different kinds of cookies. Every year I bake over 500 cookies and give them to our family and friends.

I have already posted about my Almond Crescents, no cook S’mores, Almond cups and Coconut Macaroons.

These cookies are crispy and almost taste like a sugar cookie with a butter taste.

1/2 cup butter softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tea. Baking powder
1/4 tea salt.
1 container of colored sprinkles.

GLAZE:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 to 2 tbs. milk
Red, Green, Yellow Blue Past or liquid food coloring

Cream butter and sugar. beat in egg and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients: gradually add to the creamed mixture. Cover and chill for 1 hour. On a lightly floured surface, roll out to 1/8- inch thickness. Cut with 2-1/2 in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on Parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 1- minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.

GLAZE:
In small bowl, combine confectioners sugar and milk until smooth. separate sugar into smaller bowls for individual colors. Stir in desired food coloring. Lightly spread onto cooled cookies. Let stand until glaze is set. Makes about 3 doz. You can also coat with melted bark chocolate coating

Oatmeal Cookies full of goodies

2010-12-14T07:18:00.000-08:00

These Oatmeal cookies are so good. They are full of raisins, chocolate chips and walnuts. This was one of the new Christmas cookies I baked this year.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup of vegetable shortening
3/4 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of brown sugar.
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups Quick cooking oats
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
1 cup raisins, optional
1 cups chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet or cover with a non stick aluminum foil. Beat shortening, sugar and Brown sugar until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the wet mixture and mix well. Stir in oats, nuts, raisins, and chocolate chips. Use a table spoon and drop on cookie sheet two inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing from the cookie sheet. Cool on a rack. Makes 2 dozen.

The weekend following Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T11:08:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving wasn't just Thursday for us. It went through the weekend. My in-laws came up from south Florida and spent Thanksgiving and through the weekend with us. We always look forward to their visit. The Cisco Kid not only looks forward to their visit but jumps out of his skin with anticipation on when they get here.

Last Thanksgiving I posted many recipes of my dinner. Now I have some more that I will post over the next few days. Deviled eggs, brown sugar spiced ham and carrots, stuffed mushrooms, eggplant parmigiana and cream of mushroom soup.

The Italian traditional thanksgiving starts at 11:00 am and doesn't end until late evening. We start with the antipasto. That consist of... Cream of mushroom soup, eggplant parmesan, Roasted red pepper and basil cheese cake with pesto, stuffed mushrooms, deviled eggs, antipasto salad, black olives, green olives and sweet gherkins. Later that evening we have the traditional turkey, stuffing, pashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, turkey gravy, braciole, sausage, mozzarella and tomato salad and rolls.

The desert table was loaded with everyone’s favorite. Pineapple & cherries, apricots dipped in chocolate, fruit, apple pie, coconut custard pie, banana cream pie, pecan pie and assortment of nuts.

For me, it is the leftovers I look forward too. It took me three days to cook the Thanksgiving dinner. I buy and extra large turkey so I have some leftover. This year I got a 22 lb turkey. I like the Turkey cooking bags because it cooks that size turkey in 4 hours. I also don't have to worry if the turkey will be dry. It is always cooked to perfection. The up side to all this cooking and abundance of food is I will do very little cooking all week long because of those leftovers. I could make a quick variety of things with all the leftovers. I will make..... Turkey Croquets, turkey pot pie, turkey stew and turkey salad.

My Deviled eggs.
When I make Deviled eggs I always make at least two dozen eggs. These egg's don't last long at all. They are very simple and not many ingredients are used.

I start by putting the eggs in cold water and bringing the water up to a boil for ten minutes. I then turn off the stove and let them sit in the water until the water becomes room temperature. Approximately twenty minutes.

I then peal all the eggs and cut them in half. I use the yoke and any broken egg whites for the creamy mixture. Put all the egg yolks and broken egg whites in a bowl and mash. Add 1 cup of mayonnaise with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Once they are done sprinkle with paprika.

I use a fork to make this creamy mixture.

Tomorrow I will post some more recipes.

The Chief can cook!!

2010-11-16T13:01:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I had a very long and busy day. The Cisco Kid is growing out of everything so fast. We went shopping and bought him some shoes and clothes. After we left the Mall, I went to my booth and put some items in there. We didn't get home until 4:00 and I was too tired to cook. The chief took over and made a wonderful meal.

He made garlic red mashed potatoes, brown mushroom gravy, buttered peas and grilled steak.

It was so good!!!!

For the past two month The Cisco kid has been eating the same dinners that we eat. In the past I have been one of those moms that made a separate meal for my son. He would argue and disagree when I tried to serve him what we ate and instead of arguing with him it was easier to make him a separate meal. I had to pick my battles and fighting at dinner was not one I wanted to pick. All he would eat for the main course is; chicken Tenders, grilled cheese, pizza, hamburgers or hotdogs. For the sides he would only eat; peas, raw carrots and corn. Other foods were yogurt, PB& J, and he does go through two gallons of milk a week. Now I am not going to go through the potato chip and desert group. He will ditch all of the above for those in a second. Two months ago I came to the end of my rope and told him that I am tired of cooking two different meals every night and he was going to eat what we ate. I told him, it was not up for debate or discussion he was going to eat what we ate!!!! I am relieved to say he is eating Teriyaki grilled chicken, BBQ grilled tenderloin, grilled steak. I am still working on the vegetable part of it but at least the main course is much healthier than what he ate in the past.

Cucumber and Barley Salad

2010-11-16T12:53:00.000-08:00

Last night I was craving a vegetable salad without lattice. I gathered all the vegetables I wanted in the salad and then I thought I needed to make it hardy. First I thought about putting grilled chicken in it but I didn't have any defrosted. I was looking through my can items and found some chick peas, which I love. Then I saw the pearl barley. Perfect! These two items will make the salad not only hardy but full of protein and fiber.

Salad ingredients:

1 large Cucumber

1 cup diced Green bell pepper

1 cup diced Vidalia onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh Parsley, two tablespoons for dressing

2 cups of Cherry Tomatoes sliced in half

1 can Chick Peas

2 cups of cooked Pearl Barley

Garlic and Butter Croutons

6 oz. Tomato Basil Feta Cheese, 2 oz. for the salad dressing

2 cloves of chopped Garlic, 1 clove for the salad dressing

Add all ingredients together in a large bowl except for the Feta Cheese and croutons. Add them when you are ready to serve the salad.

Pearl Barley, Cook according to the direction on the package. Let cool before adding the vegetables.

Salad Dressing:

1 clove of chopped Garlic

2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley

2 oz. Tomato Basil Feta Cheese

1 tea. salt

1 tea. pepper

½ cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

¼ cup of water.

Mix all ingredients together until it is creamy.

White Chicken Chili

2010-11-16T12:40:00.000-08:00

Now that fall is in the air it is time to pull out the big pots and make a big batch of chili. I like to freeze it so we can have it all season long. This time I am trying something different. I am making White Chicken Chili. Now some people say that white chicken chili is supposed to be made with everything white. But I never follow the rules. I added some color.

One carton of Chicken Broth
I used 2 cans of red kidney beans
If 2 cans of beans are not enough beans for you than add 2 cans of white pinto beans one large green pepper chopped into chunks
One onion chopped into chunks
5 breasts of chicken, chopped into chunks
2 packets of Mc Cormack White Chicken Chili seasoning packets
For extra vegetables in my chili I added some mushrooms
One very large pot

Sautee all the vegetables in a small amount of olive oil and set them aside। Sautee the chunked chicken breast in a small amount of olive oil until they are thoroughly cooked. Add the chicken broth and both packets of seasoning mix. Stir until all the spices are dissolved. Now add the sautéed vegetable and empty the cans of beans in the pot with all the bean juice. Simmer for 30 minutes and you will have a delicious chili.

Stromboli

2010-11-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

These Stromboli's can be served as an appetizer or a main course. Both could also be served with a side of tomato sauce.

Ingredients:
3-1 lb fresh or frozen dough. I use Bridgeford frozen Ready Douth.
2- 6 oz. package of sliced pepperoni
1 lb. of 98% fat free ham, sliced 1/4 inch in length
2 large green bell peppers, sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 cups Shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 egg scrambled
Your favorite Tomato Sauce for dipping

Directions:
Roll the dough to the size of 19 inches x 6 inches. That length will depend on if you like a thinner or thicker crust. If you like a thicker crust, roll the dough to 15 inches x 5 inches. I like a thin crust. That is what you see in the picture. I prefer to fill them with pepperoni, ham, green bell pepper and mozzarella cheese. You can fill them with anything you like. I do recommend that with any ingredients you may use, always include the Mozzarella cheese.
Scramble one egg and set aside. Once you have rolled out your dough, start layering all your ingredients down the center, starting with the pepperoni and ending with the Mozzarella. Now you can start to close the Stromboli by bringing both sides of the dough around and overlapping them. Then fold the two ends closed. If your dough will not stick together you can dip your fingers into the scrambled egg and run it along the seam.

Place the Stromboli on a greased or lined cookie sheet seam side down. Generously rub the scrambled egg all over the Stromboli’s.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or golden brown.

Serve with a side dish of tomato sauce for dipping. These ingredients will complete 4
Stromboli's.

Serving the Stromboli as a main course
Cut Stromboli in half and serve with a side of tomato sauce. Serves 8

Serving the Stromboli as an appetizer
Cut into 2 inch pieces and place on a serving tray with tomato sauce. Approximately 80 pieces.

Hints: When cutting the bell pepper into your 1/4 inch slices, slice the two ends off where it curves. The curves have a tendency to puncture through the dough.

Thanks Kim from "Pair Slices"and Heather from Oswalds Cuties for participating in "What would your children say"? Wednesday.

A meal in less than 30 minutes. Chicken Tortellini in pesto sauce.

2010-06-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

The Chief grilled out some chicken the night before and I used it in this delicious dinner that took less than 30 minutes.

I didn't take any pictures of the ingredients because I didn't think it was going to come out as good as it did.

These two ingredients are the key to the sauce.

9 oz package of Buitoni Tortellini

2 cups of vegetable stock

1/8 cup of olive oil

1 cup of diced onion

Three cloves of garlic chipped

2 cups of cooked diced chicken breast

2 cups of frozen string beans

Three heaping tbs. of basil and herb blend

I started off by boiling the water for the tortellini. Once the water started to boil I put the tortellini in and stirred. Then I took out my wok and heated up 1/8 cup of olive oil. Once the olive oil was nice and hot I added 1 cup of diced onions with three chopped cloves of garlic. By the time the onions and garlic are nice and brown the tortellini were done. I then added the frozen string beans, diced cooked chicken, vegetable stock, cooked tortellini and basis and herb blend to the onions and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer with the lid on for ten minutes and serve.

Cream Puff

2010-06-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

The Cisco Kid only has six days of school left. There is so much to do until school is out. Today is his teacher’s birthday and I made some Cream Puffs for her and the class. I wanted to bring her something different. I’m sure she is ready for something different since cupcakes are served at every class event.

This is the first time I made Cream Puffs for the Cisco Kid and he loved them. They are a very light and fluffy pastry filled with cream. I like making a verity of flavor Cream Puffs. Beside vanilla, some of my favorite flavors are: chocolate, key lime and pistachio.

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces and additional butter for tray preparation

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water for egg wash

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. You will be using 2 oven racks, one placed in the highest position and one in the lowest position. You will be swapping the position of your trays halfway through the backing time.

2. Butter two rimmed baking sheets {the rims are important-otherwise the little puffs may slide off the pan when swapping or removing from the oven}. This recipe yields 2 dozen puffs so be sure to use larger trays.

3. Using a large, heavy saucepan (not a Teflon coated pot) combine 1 cup water, 1 stick of butter, and the salt and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the butter melts. Reduce heat to medium.

4. Add 1 cup flour stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan forming a ball. This should take less than 1 minute. Cool for 1 minute.

5. Using a handheld mixer beat in the eggs, 2 at a time until thoroughly mixed in. The dough will be shiny and soft!

Baking

Drop the dough by generous tablespoons onto the baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the puffs with the egg wash.

Bake for 25 minutes until the puffs are puffed and brown switching the position of the trays at halfway in to the baking process. When the puffs are done baking, remove from the oven and turn the oven off. Using a toothpick poke a hole in each puff and return to the oven (still off) for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

The cream filling.

This cream filling is so easy and delicious.

You can make any flavor filling just by adding together 3.4 oz of jell-o pudding, ½ cup of milk with 1 lb. container of Cool Whip. Mix together and refrigerate for one hour.

Grilled pork tenderloin with grilled pineapple.

2010-04-15T06:55:00.000-07:00

Last night I grilled pork tenderloin and slices of pineapple, marinated in apple butter and orange juice. The apple butter added a nice sweet flavor to the pork and a sweet spiced flavor to the pineapple.

I purchased a large pork tenderloin and cut it into three 2 person servings. I sliced the pork tenderloin into one inch thick slices. I also sliced the pineapple into one-inch thick slices and grilled two slices which was enough for the Chief and I.

Serves 2

Pork Tenderloin sliced into three one-inch thick slices.

2 slices of pineapple one inch thick

1/2 cup of orange juice

1/2 cup of spiced apple butter

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of cloves

Mix orange juice, apple butter, cinnamon and cloves together and pour 1/2 over the pork and the other 1/2 over the pineapple. Marinade in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Grill the pork and the pineapple on medium for 25 minutes. Approximately twelve minutes on each side. This may vary depending on the heat of your grill.

My handy little helper.

Pork tenderloin is a very lean meat and it has a tendency to get very dry when grilled. The Apple Butter marinade keeps the pork moist.

I'm glad the weather is nice again because we could grill out every day.

Easter Bread

2010-04-06T13:32:00.001-07:00

Family Heritage Easter Bread

I only make certain foods certain times of the year. I wait all year for my Easter Bread. The Easter bread is a delicious bread stuffed with two kinds of cheese, pepperoni and ham.

When my mother made this, she started the dough from scratch. I use the time saving method. I buy the frozen bread dough. She also used prosciutto ham. I use baked ham. There is less fat in baked ham.

15 oz. Ricotta Cheese
2 cloves of garlic chopped
8 oz. of Pepperoni
10 oz. sliced ham
2 tablespoons of Basil. chopped fresh or pesto
3 eggs
2 1-lb. loaves of frozen Ready dough, defrosted
2 cups of mozzarella cheese

Mix Ricotta Cheese, 2 eggs, garlic and basil together and set aside.

Lay the 2 one lb. loaves of dough side by side, overlapping slightly and roll out to 20 x10 inch size.

Spread the cheese mixture on top of the dough leaving a rim of 1/2 inch.

Layer the ham, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. Start to roll the dough and sealing all the edges.

Spray a 12 inch round baking pan with a non stick spray. Then put the rolled dough in the pan, making it into a circle. Scramble the remaining egg and spread over the top of the dough. This will give the bread a nice shinny coat. Cover the bread with a cloth and let it sit out and rise for 1/2 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for fifty minutes.

Cream all the ingredients together.

I used two one pound loves of dough.

Make sure your surface is well flowered so when it is time to roll the dough it will not stick to your table surface.

Spread the cheese mixture over the top of the tough. Go 1/2 inch in from the sides.

Start layering all your ingredients.

Once you have all the ingredients on the dough, you can start to roll it up.

My mother baked her bread in a traditional loaf pan with hard boiled colored eggs on top. I think I lent mine out so I had to improvise. I decided to cook it in a cake pan.

Ebelskiver

2010-03-16T13:15:00.001-07:00

A dear friend had given me this Ebelskiver Recipe book with pan about five months ago. Sadly!!!! This is the first time I have used it. I made some cheeseburger Ebelskivers and Manwich Ebelskivers. All I could say is that they were so good. This is my new found pan. The book has some really great recipes and I find myself thinking of new and inventive ideas to use for a great tasty center. This is one of those great items that William Sonoma sells.

Instead of making the batter from scratch, I used Bisquick.

I added a small amount of cheese to the batter.

Slightly let the batter cook.

Add the ground beef.

Add cheese.

Flip the cheeseburger.

Delicious!!!!

I had some extra ground beef left over and I decided to put Manwich in the beef. I then filled the Ebelskivers with the Manwich mixture.

They turned out really good.

I think that by adding a slightly moist filling was really so much better.

As you can see, we enjoyed them.

Pineapple Salsa

2010-03-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

It only takes three ingredients to a wonderful no fat salsa. Salsa can compliment many dishes. Now that spring is in the air, I could not wait to start with something fresh and refreshing to eat.

All you will need is:
1 peeled and cored, diced Pineapple
1/2 small red onion diced
1/2 cup cilantro

Mix all the ingredients and you are ready to enjoy the sweet and tangy tast of this salsa.

For a low fat and refreshing lunch I topped my cottage cheese with the sweet tast of my pineapple salsa.

Pasta Salad with roasted red pepper, balsamic vinigerett dressing

2010-03-01T00:57:00.000-08:00

My pasta salad is more like a meal than a side salad. I make my pasta salad with backed chicken, pepperoni and an assortment of vegetables.

Salad

1 box of tri color Rotini pasta

1 red bell pepper chopped in 1/2 inch chunks

1/2 onion chopped in 1/2 inch chunks

3 stalks of celery chopped in 1/2 inch chunks

1/2 cups carrots chopped on thin slices

15 cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 cups or 1-1/2 chicken breast, roasted and chopped in chunks

2 cups of pepperoni cut in chunks

1/2 cup of parsley chopped

Cook pasta al dente. Bake chicken sprinkled with Mrs Dash sundried tomatoes and basil. Once pasta and Chicken has cooled combine all the above ingredients and mix.

Dressing

1/2 cup of Olive Oil

1/4 cup of Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 cup chopped parsley

2 cups of roasted red peppers

1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes pesto

2 tablespoons of Mrs Dash sundried tomatoes and basil

1/4 cup of fresh basil or basil pesto

3 cloves of garlic

In a food processer blend all ingredients except for the Olive Oil and balsamic vinaigrette. After everything is mixed, slowly add the balsamic vinaigrette while mixing. Once the balsamic vinaigrette is incorporated, do the same with the Olive Oil. Pour dressing on to the salad and mix well. Salt to taste.

Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms

2010-02-23T00:55:00.000-08:00

Chicken Marsala is a very tender lightly coated chicken that is pan fried. The Masrsala sauce is a sweet brown wine sauce. The tast of the lightly coated chicken and the Marsala sauce is so wonderful with every bite. It sounds complicated to cook but it is very easy. You cook everything three stages and in the same frying pan.

Ingredients
•1/2 cup flour plus 2 tablespoons
•2 tablespoons of butter
•1/4 tsp salt
•1/8 tsp black pepper
•1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
•1/4 cup chopped parsley
•2 chicken breasts, boned, skinless
•1/4 cup olive oil
•1 cup Marsala wine
•1 cup sliced mushrooms, sliced
•1/2 onion chopped
•3 cloves of garlic chipped.
•1 cup chicken broth
•2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese

Directions
First stage:
Chop onions, garlic and parsley and put in a pan with two tablespoons of olive oil and butter.
Once onions are see through add the mushrooms and cook well. Once they are cooked remove them from pan and set aside.

Second stage:
In a medium size bowl, mix together the flour, salt, oregano, and pepper.
Pound the chicken breasts gently (with the flat side of your meat mallet). Place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken to prevent chicken from splattering all over the place.
Put the chicken in the flour mixture and make sure both sides are well coated.
On medium-high, heat add the 1/4 cup of olive oil and brown the chicken on both sides. Then put chicken onto a plate.

Stage three:
In the same pan, pour wine into the oil and heat on medium heat. Mix in the mushrooms, chicken broth and 2 tablespoons of flour. Once the Marsala sauce is hot, put the chicken in the sauce and simmer for five minutes. After the five minutes put chicken on a plate and pour some sauce over the top. Sprinkle parsley and Parmesan cheese on top. For more of my favorite recipes go to Family Heritage Bookbook.

Blend spices with flour

Flatten to 1/4 inch thick

Add Marsala wine, chicken broth and flour. Once sauce is thickened add mushrooms and onions. Salt and pepper to tast.

For more scrumptious recipies go to . Temp my Tummy Tuesday.

Red Beans and Rice

2010-02-13T01:12:00.001-08:00

Every Christmas my Mother and Father in law send us a Honey Baked ham. I save the bone and make split pea and ham soup. This year I decided to try something new. I thought I would try my hand at Red Beans and Rice. Since I have never made Red Beans and Rice before, I decided to look over several different recipes on the internet. As I was looking over all the recipes I took bits and pieces of several different recipes to make mine. I have to say it turned out really good. My husband and in laws loved it.

Ingredients:

1 honey baked ham bone

1 lb. of Johnsonville, Andouille spicy smoked sausage slice in 1 inch pieces
1 green bell pepper diced in ½ inch chunks
1 onion diced in ½ inch chunks
Celery diced in ½ inch chunks
4 cloves of garlic chopped
2 lbs of dry light red kidney beans
1 tablespoon of Time
1 tablespoon of sage
½ tablespoon of Cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons of Webber Grill Creations, N’orleans Cajun seasoning
32 oz. Vegetable broth
6 cups of water
1 cup of chopped parsley
1/8 cup of Olive oil
Direactions:
Sautee green pepper, onion and celery separately. Then combine the sautéed vegetables with garlic, parsley and all the spices. Set aside.
Rinse the red beans and make sure there are no rocks. Add beans to water and Vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Add chopped garlic, parsley, ham bone, Andouille Sausage and the seasoned vegetables. Cook on low for four hours stirring at least every fifteen minutes.

Cook 2 cups of your favorite rice according to the package. In a bowl put a heaping spoon of rice in the bowl, then add a large scoop of Red Beans and Rice on top, then serve.

This makes a very large pot of Red Beans. I portioned it into six plastic containers that serve two. I froze the containers.

For more great recipes go to Temp My Tummy.

Chicken Waldorf Salad Sandwich

2010-01-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

A great winter or summer sandwich. This sandwich is a good change from a winter long soup and sandwich meals. This Chicken Waldorf Salad is so perfect alone or served on top of a nice buttery croissant.

2 cups of baked and diced chicken. Approximately two breasts

1 large red apple diced in small bite size pieces

1/2 cup of diced carrots

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon of brown sugar Splenda

1/2 cup of Hellman mayonaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Add all the above ingredients into al large bowl and mix well.

lettice

1 tomato sliced

2 large croissants

Cut the Croissant in half and pile the Chicken Waldorf Salad on top. Garnish with lettice and tomato.

Chicken Waldrof Salad

2010-01-26T10:01:00.001-08:00

2 cups of baked and diced chicken. Approximately two breasts

1 large red apple diced in small bite size pieces

1/2 cup of diced carrots

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon of brown sugar Splenda

1/2 cup of Hellman mayonaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Add all the above ingredients into al large bowl and mix well.

lettice

1 tomato sliced

2 large croissants

Cut the Croissant in half and pile the Chicken Waldorf Salad on top. Garnish with lettice and tomato.

If you would like to see for temp your tummy recipes. Go to, Temp my Tummy Tuesday

Ditalini pasta and eggs

2010-01-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

Dinner on a budget! As a child, this is one of those family meals we had all the time. This is also one of the Chief's favorites. A large pot that feeds a family of four can be made for under $4.00. It is so simple to make.

Ingredients:
Boil 2 quarts of water in a large pot
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1/4 cup of parsley chopped fine
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
7 eggs scrambled
One scallion diced (optional)
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Bring water to a boil and add pasta, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook pasta to desired tenderness then add scrambled egg and olive oil. Stir egg gently so it can stay in large chunks.

Serve hot and sprinkle scallions with parmesan cheese on top. If the pasta absorbs the liquid just add more water to make a soup consistency.

This meal can't get any easier, inexpensive and delicious.

Sugar Free Spiced Nuts

2010-01-06T04:11:00.001-08:00

Can't belieive it's Sugar Free.

This is a new year and I'm going sugar free. Since diabetes runs in my family I decided to make a change in some of my deserts. I was speaking to my Aunt Rosemarie over the holidays and she told me how she makes her sugar coated nuts. I also have a recipe for sugar coated Spiced Nuts. Her nuts are coated with egg whites mixed with Splenda and mine are coated with butter mixed with brown sugar. Now, I do not see a down side to my Aunt’s nut recipe. It is loaded with protein and no sugar. There is a small difference. Mine has a crispy candy coating and hers has a nice nutty sweet flavor. This recipe is perfect for someone who wants to watch their sugar intake. My husband loves my spiced nuts. When the Chief came home he spotted the jar of nuts and dug right in. I asked him if he noticed anything different. He shook his head no, and said not really. I then told him they were sugar free. He was shocked and grabbed another hand full. Based on my husband’s response I could say they are a hit. This was so good next week I'm going to substitute the nuts with a Granola mix.

Ingredients:

1 bag 16 oz. pecan halves
8 oz of roasted salted cashews
6 oz of Macadamia nuts
3/4 cup of Brown Sugar Splenda
1/4 cup of Splenda
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of pure vanilla
4 egg whites

Directions:
Separate egg whites from egg yolks. Add the Splenda brown sugar, Splenda, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and vanilla to the egg whites. Beat with a fork until it is mixed well. Put all the nuts in a bowl and pour the egg white mixture in with the nuts and mix well. Cover a baking sheet with quick release aluminum foil. Spread nuts evenly on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes. Toss nuts and bake again for an additional ten minutes. Let cool and they become slightly crispy.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Dinner

2010-01-03T06:49:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve was very cold here in Florida. I decided that we needed to have some good comfort food. I thought a hardy beef stew with mashed potatoes would really worm us up. I cooked the meat in the Crock Pot all day. The meat was so tender and the gravy was full of flavor.

1 three pound beef roast, cut into chunks
4 cups of beef broth
1 onion cut into chunks
1 green bell pepper cut into chunks
4 large carrots cut into chunks
8 mushrooms sliced
2 tablespoons of corn starch
¼ cup of parsley chopped.
Salt and pepper to taste
I added the meat and the beef broth to the Crock Pot and let it cook for four hours. After the four hours the meat is very tender. At that point add the Vegetables starting with the ones that cook the longest. Example: 1st carrots, green peppers, onions then mushrooms. Cook for two hours. Mix the cornstarch with ¼ cup of water and stir into the stew. Add salt and pepper to taste.

It is a tradition every year that my Father in-law and Mother in-law give us a Honey Baked Ham. That has become our family Christmas dinner. This year I served it with stuffing, corn and spinach.

Egg Soufflé for Christmas Brunch.

2009-12-25T13:52:00.000-08:00

Today is great to spend time with family. My in laws are in town and we are always happy they are available to come and visit. I do so much cooking for Thanksgiving that I take it easy for Christmas. Christmas day we start out with a brunch of egg soufflé. The egg soufflé is prepared 24 hours in advance. When Christmas morning rolls around all I have to do is mix two ingredients together and put it in the oven. This is the most delicious egg soufflé.

My laws have a tradition and send all their children a honey baked ham for Christmas. Christmas dinner we have the honey baked ham with creamed spinach and stuffing.

I sautéed the veggies in a small amount of bacon grease.

12 oz. bacon, fried crispy and crumbled.

2 1/2 cups of half & half

4 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

3 cups croutons

2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

2/3 cup of half and halt to mix with cream of mushroom soup.

1. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish and add croutons. Set aside.

2. Cook bacon in a large skillet until browned. drain, crumble and set aside.

3. Sauté 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into small chunks. Set aside

4. Sauté 1/2 onion, cut into small chunks. Set aside

5. Sauté 8 mushrooms sliced. Set aside

6. In a medium bowl combine milk, eggs and dry mustard; mix well. Pour over croutons.

7. Add crumbled bacon and spread evenly over the top.

8. Add cheddar cheese on top. Then layer all the remaining vegetables.

9. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

10. Preheat oven to 300°F .

11. In a medium bowl, combine condensed soup and half and half . Spread on top of casserole. Bake, uncovered, for 90 minutes or until casserole is set and lightly browned.

Makes 8 servings

All the Christmas Cookies

2009-12-19T16:19:00.001-08:00

In our house part of our Christmas tradition is baking our family traditional cookies. Here are all the cookies I baked this year. Every year I bake about 500 cookies and give them to my Family and Friends.

If you would like to see the recipes to all my Christmas cookie collection, just click on the links. Connoli, Strufalas, Almond Crescents, no cook S’mores, Almond cups , Coconut Macaroons, Crisp sugar cookies, Chocolate Dipped Lady Fingers, and Oat Rageous Chocolate Chip Peanut butter, Neapolitan Cookies and Almond Rugalas Cookies.

I have Turkey comming out of my ears

2009-12-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

I am done with the Turkey. Thursday the turkey was wonderful. Friday the turkey sandwiches were great. Saturday the Turkey salad was perfect. Sunday the turkey pot pie was so comforting. Then I had to think of something else to make with that last bit of leftover turkey. I was dreading turkey again. I love turkey but come on. Enough is enough. I have to say this is about all I can handle. Even though I still have turkey left over I was ready to ditch it. Then I remembered something my mother made when I was a kid. Turkey croquettes!! These croquettes are so good and let me tell you it doesn’t taste like turkey.

Croquettes
4 cups of chopped turkey
2 cups of leftover stuffing
2 cups of leftover mashed potatoes
2 cups of seasoned bread crumbs
Oil for frying
3 eggs beaten
Mix turkey stuffing and mashed potatoes together and roll in a cone shape. Dip them in the egg and then coat them in seasoned bread crumbs. Fry to a golden brown.
Sauce
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 cup of leftover turkey gravy
2 cups of milk.
1/3 cup of chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of corn starch and 1/4 cup of milk. Mix together and set aside.
Heat all remaining ingredients together. As soon as the sauce starts to boil turn down heat and add the corn starch mixture. Continuously sure until thicken.
Pour over your Croquettes and you can sprinkle with the following optional cheeses.
Parmesan cheese, feta cheese or gorgonzola cheese.
Makes 12 Croquettes

Sauce

2009-11-26T05:18:00.000-08:00

I will do several updated throughout the day.

The festivities I have been looking forward to, is here. As soon as I am done with this post I will turn the Thanksgiving parade on and get in the kitchen with the Cisco Kid and start cooking.
The Braciole was in the process of cooking on my last post. Now that it is done here are some pictures.
I updated this post at 9:00 a.m. this morning.

I have put the turkey in a nice big pot last night and let it soak with some salt and spices.
This morning I rinsed the turkey off and stuff it with onions, celery, carrots, parsley, basil & garlic. Stuffing the turkey with spices and vegetables makes the gravy delicious. take about four pads of butter and place it under the breast skin. I put a light coating of olive oil on the big bird and rub Mrs Dash tomato basil all over it. I love cooking my turkey in the baking bags. The turkey always comes out juicy. Big bird looking good. I updated this post at 12:30 p.m. This is our Thanksgiving Brunch.

Enjoy your day and Happy Thanksgiving.

This is posted Friday morning.

Everyone around the fire pit relaxing after stuffing themselves. The kids are always ready for something sweet. They have been looking forward to roasting marshmallows all day.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

The love of traditions

2009-11-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the big feast.

I am ready to enjoy the company of our family and friends. Thanksgiving has been one of my favorite holidays. I am thankful to have this holiday in my home. It has been a cherished tradition every year. I love when my house is full of family and friends, I love the smell of food through out the house, I love the family time we get hanging out in the kitchen cooking Thanksgiving day, I love the thanksgiving parade, I love going out doors and playing games with the kids, I love at the end of the day just sitting around the table and talking. I love that the Thanksgiving celebration starts at 11:00 a.m. and ends around 10:00 p.m. I love the way all the food brings people together.

That brings me to tell you about my menu. I have all my food prepared as much as I could. The rest will be done on Thursday morning.

Yesterday I made the Braciole and prepped the stuffing for the calzones. Today I will cook the Braciole in my homemade tomato sauce that I have in the freezer. I will post the recipe of the Braciole when it is done cooking in the tomato sauce.

Calzone....I will post the recipe for the Calzone next week.
Pineapple & Cherries make for a great after dinner fresh taste.

This is some of the Crystal I washed that I will be using for Thanksgiving.

Thursday morning I will rise with the roosters and put my 20 lb. turkey in the oven.
I will have the following completed by 11:00 a.m. when our Thanksgiving brunch starts. I will make the calzones, complete the deviled eggs, put the ham in the oven, cook the glazed carrots, and Put together the Tomato, basil and mozzarella salad. Everything else for the brunch is completed.
This is what I am doing for the dinner.
Today I am going to peal and cube all the potatoes for the mashed potatoes. Then I will put them in a large freezer bag with some water. Freeze them until it is time to make the mashed potatoes. I will put the frozen potatoes in a large pot and boil them. I am going to make the Macaroni and cheese and put it in the fridge until it is ready to bake tomorrow. I am going to put the corn in a corning pot with all the seasonings and put it back in the freezer.
One hour before dinner on Thursday all I will have to do is put the stuffing together, cook and mash the potatoes, put the corn on the stove, bake the rolls, put the macaroni and cheese in the oven, make the turkey gravy and carve the bird.

Have happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Braciole

2009-11-25T05:01:00.000-08:00

Braciole. This is a very popular meat in my house. It is so tasty and melts in your mouth tender.

1 Beef roast long in length and sliced ¼ in think.
8 cloves of garlic, generously sprinkle garlic on the meat.
Pepper, generously sprinkle pepper on the meat.
Parnassian cheese, sprinkle a layer over the surface of the meat.
Mozzarella cheese, sprinkle a layer over the surface of the meat.
Use a meat tenderizing mallet and fatten the meat slightly.
Place plastic wrap over the meat prior to using the meat tenderizer.
String to tie the Braciole closed.

Layer all ingredients on the meat. Roll and tie with a string. Tie one end and start wrapping to the opposite end then tie the beginning end the last end.

Braise the meat until a golden brown.
Place them in a pot of tomato sauce and cook for at least two hours. I use a crock pot and let it cook for four hours.

Chocolate dipped Pumpkin cookies

2009-11-24T05:01:00.002-08:00

Williams Sonoma cute fall cookie presses
The Pumpkin Cookies are a very simple sugar cookie with yellow and red food coloring to make orange dough.

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 heaping tablespoon of caned or fresh pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Center Chocolate:
Bark Chocolate

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together all the wet ingredients. Beat the Butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg, pumpkin, orange and vanilla extract. Add a few drops of red and yellow food coloring to get a nice bright orange color. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients into the wet. Roll the dough out and use Williams Sonoma fall cutters and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until slightly golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Center Directions:
Once the Cookies are cooled, make the Bark Chocolate according to the direction on the package. Dip on side of the leaf cookie in the chocolate and place another leaf on top. Put on cooling rack until harden.

Antapasta Salad

2009-11-24T05:01:00.001-08:00

This salad is a mixture of all the wonderful vegetables and spices.
This is in two sections. The salad section and the dressing section.

The salad:

Cut all ingredients into bites size pieces and combine in a large bowl.

1/2 lb of Mozzarella Chunked into bite size pieces.
1 can of X large black olives
1 cup of green olives
1/2 cup of sundried tomato pesto
1 can of artichokes, cut in half.
1/2 cup of roasted red peppers, cut into bite size pieces.
2 tablespoons of capers
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 cucumber peeled and diced into quarters
1/2 onion, chopped
One stick of pepperoni, sliced in ¼ inch thickness, then into quarters.

The dressing

Put the following ingredients into a food processor. Add the olive oil while the processor is mixing the ingredients. After all the ingredients are blended together pour over all the vegetables.

1/2 bunch of flat leaf parsley
about 10 leaves of Basil
1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1 tea Kosher salt
¾ cup of Olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of tomato basil Mrs Dash

This salad is not limited to just the ingredients I mentioned. Feel free to add your favorite vegetables, cheese and meet.

Chocolate dipped Apricots

2009-11-23T04:26:00.000-08:00

I love dried fruit. This time of year the fruit section has dried apricots.
Heat two squares of the Chocolate bark coating according to the package. Dip one end of the apricot in the melted chocolate and place on a try to cool. Once they have cooled you can transfer them to a bowl.

Spiced Nuts

2009-11-22T05:01:00.002-08:00

These are not just any ordinary nuts. This beats any caned flavored nuts.

1 tablespoon of butter
2 tablespoons of margarine
1 tea of each nutmeg, cinnamon, chyenne pepper, vanilla and orange extract.
1 tea Baking soda
½ cup of Splenda Brown sugar
½ cup of dark brown sugar.
1-16 oz. bag of pecans
1-16 0z. bag of cashews

Place the nuts in a large bowl and set aside.
put a non stick aluminum foil on a cookie sheet and set aside.

In a sauce pot heat the butter and margarine. Once the butter is melted add the brown sugars, nutmeg, cinnamon, chyenne pepper, vanilla and orange extract. Let the mixture come up to a boil. Continue to boil until all the sugar is melted. Turn of heat to the stove top and add the baking soda. The baking soda makes the mixture foam. Immediately add the mixture to the nuts and stir. One the nuts are fully coated with the mixture transfer the nuts to the cookie sheet. Bake for 9 minutes. Stir nuts and bake for an additional 9 minutes.

Pumpkin Bread

2009-11-22T05:01:00.001-08:00

Here is a wonderful Pumpkin Bread that is so moist and delicious.

2 cups of Bisquick
1/8th cut of oil
1 tea cinnamon
1 tea nutmeg
2 tablespoons of Pumpkin spice
2 cups of chopped walnuts
½ cup of Splenda Brown Sugar
1-1/2 cups of pumpkin
1 egg
1 tea vanilla
7 oz. of sweetened condensed milk.
1 small container of Cinnamon apple sauce.

Mix all dry ingredients except for the walnuts.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix until blended.
Once the batter is blended add the chopped walnuts.

Spray a 3x5 baking dish with a non stick spray. Add the Pumpkin batter and set aside.

Crumb topping

1 cup of Bisquick
1 tablespoon of soft butter and
½ cup of Splenda Brown Sugar.
Blend all the ingredients and crumble on top of the batter.
Bake at 350 for 1-hour 15 minutes.

Crumb Topping

Govatelli

2009-11-22T05:01:00.000-08:00

This is an old family noodle my mother would make. I serve this noodle with tomato sauce. I will show the whole dish later this week.

2-1/2 cups of all purpose flour
½ cup of water
1 tea spoon of salt.

Mix all the ingredients together. It is important to have the right consistency of the dough. It should not be sticky. If it sticks to your fingers, the dough is to wet. If it will not blend together, it is to dry.

Roll into tubes and roll through the Gnocchi Machine.

Cranberry sauce.

2009-11-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

2 bags of fresh cranberries
1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup Splends brown sugar
1 tea spoon of Orange extract
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
4 cups of water

Boil water with sugar. Once sugar is melted add cranberries and cook until they have become the consistency of jell. Add the remaining ingredients.

I do not like the seeds in my cranberry sauce so I use a food processer and cheese cloth to remove the seeds. If you don’t mind the seeds you can stop right here and follow the last step.

Since I don’t like the seeds I let the cooked cranberries cool before adding mixture to food processer. Pulse about 15 times. Then place cheese cloth over a bowl and add the cranberry sauce. Squeeze the sauce from the cheese cloth and add to a bowl. Refrigerate overnight.

Potato Soup

2009-11-10T13:44:00.000-08:00

I love soups. The weather is perfect for a great hardy potato soup recipe.

Ingredients:
7 potatoes, peeled and diced into 2 inch cubes
½ vidalia onion, chopped fine
5 stalks of celery, chopped fine
1 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons of Mrs Dash, Onion & Herb
Kosher salt to taste
4 cups of 1% milk
3 cups of cheddar / jack cheese
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add the chopped onions and celery. Cook until the celery is tender.
Add the cut potatoes to the onion and celery mixture. Cover the potatoes with water and boil until the potatoes are very soft and falling apart. If needed use a potato masher to create smaller chunks. Add milk, cheese, parsley, Mrs Dash and salt. Stir to blend cheese and let simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Connoli's

2009-11-09T00:22:00.000-08:00

This is the eleventh of twelve posts from my Family Heritage Christmas cookie recipes. Every Monday from now until December, I will share my full collection of Christmas cookie recipes. Then I will post some of my Grandmothers cookies that I have not made in years.
My Christmas cookie collection consists of twelve different kinds of cookies. These are all family favorites.
I have already posted about my Strufalas, Almond Crescents, no cook S’mores, Almond cups , Coconut Macaroons, Crisp sugar cookies, Chocolate Dipped Lady Fingers, and Oat Rageous Chocolate Chip Peanut butter, Neapolitan Cookies and Almond Rugalas Cookies.

Connoli shells

2 cups of flour
2 tbsp. shortening
1 tsp. salt
¾ cup of any white wine. I used Pinot Grigio
Oil for frying

Special metel tubes are used to make the Connoli shells.

Combine flour, shortening, and sugar, salt and wet gradually with the wine. Knead together with fingers until dough is formed. Form into a ball and cover with a cloth. Let stand for about one hour. Cut dough in half and roll into a thin sheet about ¼ inch thick or less. Cut the dough into four inch squares. Place a metal tube diagonally across each square from one point to another. Dab a small amount of water on each end that will be overlapping. Wrap dough around the tube and overlap each end. Meanwhile heat vegetable oil in a large deep pan for deep frying. Drop tubes into hot oil and fry gently on all sides until dough is a golden brown color.

Connoli Filling.

1-32 oz container of ricotta cheese
½ cup of confectioners sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
2 oz. of miniature semi sweet chocolate morsels
3 tbsp of orange rind
3 tbsp of lemon rind
1/8 cup of rum. I also added 1/8 cup of Kahlua

Drain the ricotta cheese in cheese cloth over night. It is best when all the liquid is out of the cheese.

Mix all ingredients together except for the miniature semi sweet chocolate morsels. Fill the shells generously with the cheese mixture. After filling the shells, dip the ends in the chocolate morsels arrange on a try and sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Cheese Filling

Roasted Red and Sweet Potatoes

2009-10-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

Roasted Red and Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
Roasted potatoes come out so sweet and delicious. It makes a perfect side dish with any meal.

3 large sweet potatoes
6 med red potatoes
1 Vidalia onion
1/2 cup parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut potatoes into 2 inch squares. Cut onion into slices. Toss all ingredients together. Place on a lined cookie sheet and bake for one hour at 350 degrees.

My family likes them best with Meatloaf.

Meatloaf

2009-10-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

My mother made her Meatloaf like this with two exceptions. She didn't use Sun Dried Tomatoes or the product Mrs Dash. She did use all the seasonings in Mrs Dash separately. I just find it more convenient to purchase one bottle of spice instead of four.

I have to say.... I have many of Mrs Dash spices. They are a salt free spice and really adds very good flavor to any food.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of lean ground beef
1/2 cup of milk
5 slices of white bread
3 eggs
3 tablespoons of Mrs Dash, Tomato, Basil and Garlic
1 tea spoon of black pepper
2 tea spoons of salt
Sun dried tomatoes (optional)

Directions:

Mix together, milk, bread, Mrs Dash, black pepper, salt, eggs and Sun dried tomatoes.
Then add ground beef and mix. Once the mixing is completed, shape the meat into a loaf and place in a shallow baking pan coated lightly with olive oil. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

I find that using the fresh bread and mixing it with milk makes for a moist and tender Meatloaf.

Leftover meatloaf is great cold in a sandwich with catsup.
This picture is showing roasted red, sweet potatoes with caramelized onions. I will post this recipe next week. Have a great weekend.

Italian Meatballs

2009-09-29T04:35:00.001-07:00

This is the time of year when I do most of my cooking. Fall and winter is when the weather in Florida starts to cool down and the holidays are just around the corner. Now I can get into cooking.

The great thing about making Meatballs is they do very well when frozen. I make a very large batch and put half in the freezer. When I am ready to use the Frozen Meatballs, all I do is defrost them and put them in the oven for fifteen minutes, just enough time for them to get hot and crisp up slightly.
2 lbs of lean ground beef
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoons salt
½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
3 cloves of garlic chopped fine
½ cup Sun Dried Tomatoes packed in oil (optional)
3 tablespoons of Mrs Dash, Sundried tomato and Basil
2 eggs
Oil for frying

Mix all ingredients together and roll the meat into 3 inch balls. Put oil in a frying pan ½ inch deep. Allow the oil to get hot before placing the Meatballs in the oil. Place the Meatballs in the frying pan and fry to a golden brown.
Turn Meatballs every couple of minutes so all sides are golden brown.

I love Sun Dried tomatoes so I add some for myself. As for the Chief he likes just straight Meat.

Participating and reading about "What would your children say?" Wednesday, is a real good laugh for mid week.

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Coconut Macaroons

2009-09-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

This is the fourth post out of twelve. Every Monday I am going to post a recipe from my Christmas cookie collection. I have already posted about my Almond Crescents, no cook S'mores and Almond cups.

These Coconut macaroons are so soft and chewy. Most coconut macaroon cookie recipes do not require any cooking prior to baking. These do require cooking. That extra step is worth it. It adds a great chewy texture on the inside.

1-1/2 cups shredded coconut

2- 1/2 cups granulated sugar

6 egg whites lightly beaten

2 tablespoons of corn syrup

2 teaspoon. vanilla

Put sugar, vanilla, egg whites and corn syrup into a medium pan and put heat on low. Stir in one egg white a time until mixture is thick and smooth. Remove from the heat and add Coconut. Drop Coconut mixture on a Cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Makes 1 dozen.

Here is a sneek peek of the Christmas cookie collection over the next four weeks.

Almond Cups

2009-09-07T03:41:00.000-07:00

Every Monday I am going to post a recipe from my Christmas cookie collection. There are a total of twelve recipes I will be sharing.

I have already posted about my Almond Crescents and no cook S'moors. This week is Almond cups.
Almond filled cups topped with a cherry. This is the third week and third recipe from my Christmas cookie collection. There are nine weeks left and you will see my entire collection that I bake every year and give out to my Family and Friends.

2 Dozen Metal Cups,
One Pillsbury Pie Crust (pre-made) 2 rolls in a box.
1 can of Solo Almond Cake & pastry filling
1 egg.
1 container of dried cherries

Combine 1 can of Almond Filling with one egg. Set aside. Roll out pie shells and cut 2 inch circles. Get as many circles as possible out of your pie crust. Once you have all your circles cut, gently press the curst into metal cups and remove excess from rim. Fill cups 3/4 of the way with the Almond Filling. Put cups on a baking tray and bake at 350 for 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool and remove from metal cups and top with 1/2 of cherry.

S'mores Dipped Cookies

2009-08-31T03:41:00.000-07:00

Every Monday I am going to post a recipe from my Christmas cookie collection. There are a total of twelve recipes I will be sharing.

Last week it was the Almond Crescents and this week is S'mores. I am going to put a linky on each of the posts. If you would like to share your Christmas cookie recipes I would love to see them.

S’mores is so easy and a huge hit in my house. My husband and son love them because they are S’mores fans. I love them because not only do they taste great but these can be made without having a roaring fire.
Ingredients:

1 box of Honey Gram Crackers
1 small jar of Marshmallow Fluff
1 bag of Chocolate flavored Bark Coating, 24 oz.

Directions:

Brake Gram Crackers into 4th's. Spread a thin layer of Marshmallow Fluff on Gram Cracker then cover with another gram Cracker. Once all crackers are Fluff sandwiches melt Chocolate Bark according to the directions on the bag. Dip one side of the Fluff sandwich and place on parchment paper to cool and harden.

No Baking Required.

Almond Crescents

2009-08-24T06:08:00.001-07:00

This is the first of twelve posts on my Family Heritage Christmas cookies. This recipe is my mothers and they are absolutely delicious. They are so light and buttery with the taste of almonds.

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup ground almonds

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbs. corn starch

1/2 cup confection sugar.

Start by creaming the butter, almonds, sugar and vanilla together. Add flour and cornstarch. Roll into 1-inch crescent shaped cookies and place on a parchment covered cookie tray. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes or until top begins to crack. While the cookies are still worm, roll them in the confection sugar. Place on Cookie sheet to cool.

Please feel free to share your favorite Christmas cookie recipes. I would love to see them.

Mushrooms and brown gravy

2009-08-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I prepared a great steak dinner for the Chief. Along with the steak, I made red garlic mashed potatoes and mushrooms. The mushrooms and gravy really completed a great steak dinner.

Ingredients:
Large container of whole mushrooms
Kitchen Basics vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
2 table spoons corn starch

Directions: Rinse all mushrooms and put in a 2 quart pan. Put enough vegetable stock in the pot to cover mushrooms. Keep in mind that the mushrooms will float. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water. Add to the mushrooms and stir. Put the mushrooms back on the burner for a few minutes on medium heat until the sauce thickens.

Red Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2009-08-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful side dish of creamy red garlic mashed potatoes with milted cheddar jack cheese topped with light crispy crunch of the fried onions.

Ingredients:
10 potatoes cut into ¼
5 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 tablespoon of salt or salt to taste.
1 cup flat leaf parsley chopped fine
1 - 2.8oz can of frenches, French fried onions
4 oz. Philadelphia 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 cup Sargento shredded Cheddar Jack cheese
2 tablespoons of butter¾ cup of milk

Directions:
Boil cut potatoes until tender. Strain and transfer into a large bowl. Add parsley, garlic, and cream cheese. Mash slightly with a masher then add milk and use and electric mixer to cream them. Transfer creamy potatoes into your backing bowl and top. with cheese and onions on top of that. Place into oven for fifteen minutes at 350 degrees.

Hint:
1. You can test them by poking the potatoes with a fork. If fork goes through the potato easily the potato is done.
2. Don’t over whip the potatoes they will come out gummy.

Little Chef making a Cinnamon Apple Streusel Cake

2009-08-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a Betty Crocker Cinnamon Streusel muffin mix that I turned into a delicious cake with apples.

Ingredients:

2 boxes of Betty Crocker Cinnamon Streusel muffin mix.
The two mixes require a total of 4 Eggs, 1-1/2 cups of Milk and ½ cup of Vegetable Oil.
1 can of Comstock Apple Pie Filling.
I followed the directions on the box. Instead of using the muffin tins I used a 5x9 inch Pyrex baking dish. Once all the ingredients were mixed I put the apples on top then topped with the streusel mix provided by Betty Crocker. Baked at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.
serves 8 to 10

Layered Mexican Chicken Pie

2009-08-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

One big NO! NO! We have all heard time and time again. Never go grocery shopping when you are hungry. Well I totally ignored that rule. I was so hungry and I wanted Mexican. As I was shopping I got these items and thought, this could get ugly, complicated and messy. I like my one pot meals and I try to keep it down to 10 ingredients per meal. Then I had a thought, layering everything in a pie plate. I wasn't sure how this was going to come out but I was hungry and all these ingredients sounded so good. When I got home I immediately started working on this. It took about 50 minutes to make. It came out so good, so rich in flavor. My husband loved this so much, he said, I have to put this in my Heritage Cookbook section so I can remember to make it again. But I have to post it in my D.I.E.T.? 15 minute meal section because it is only 9 points per serving. Now that is good Mexican.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds Chicken breast, skinless, boneless, raw,
2 cups Vidalia onion,
3 large Mission whole wheat tortillas
1 oz Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix
5 oz Old El Paso Mild Enchilada Sauce
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 1/2 cups Old El Paso Fat-Free Refried Beans
8 tbsp reduced-fat sour cream
1 cup diced tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cups shredded Sargento 4 cheese Mexican

Instructions:

Chop and sautéed onions in olive oil. Clean and chop chicken into one inch chunks. Add chicken to the sautéed onions. Braise chicken. After chicken is braised add 2 cups of water and simmer on medium for 20 minutes with a lid on the pot. Chicken should fall apart at this time. If not, continue to cook in some liquid for and additional ten minutes. Continue cooking until all the liquid is gone. Add the packet of taco seasoning mix and set aside.

Put the refried beans in a bowl and add 1 cup of salsa. Mix and set aside.

Take a Pyrex pie dish and put one tortilla shell on the bottom. Cut tortilla shell to size. Layer the refried beans on the tortilla shell then add 1 cup of cheese. Cut another tortilla shell and place on top of the cheese. Top that tortilla shell with the chicken. Add the enchilada sauce and salsa on top of the chicken and 1 cup of cheese on top of the salsa. Last layer! Cut the tortilla shell to size and place on top. Put remaining onions and cheese on top of the shell. Bake on 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut pie into 8th. Let pie cool for 15 minutes before serving and top with 1 table spoon of sour cream, salsa and fresh diced tomatoes.
serves 8
pointes per serving 9

Bread Pudding

2009-08-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ingredeants:

1/2 loaf Italian bread
3 large eggs
1 large apple
2 cups 2% reduced fat milk
1 cup Fisher Fusions sweet harvest snack mix
4 oz unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup fat-free caramel topping
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp McCormick Pure vanilla extract
1 tsp McCormick butter extract
1/2 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

Directions:

Cut bread in 1 inch squares. If bread is fresh, let it sit out over night. Place bread in a 3x6 baking dish and set aside. Chop apple into small chunks. Mix together Milk, sugar, eggs, applesauce, vanilla extract, butter extract, cinnamon and caramel. Whisk together. Once the mixture is smooth, add the pecans and apples. Mix well. Pour the mixture over the top of the bread. Set aside for 10 minutes before baking. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes. You can serve this hot or cold.

Serves 8
Points 6 per serving.

There is something new to look forward to on Wednesday's, its, "What would your children say?" Wednesday

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White Cheese vegetable Pizza

2009-07-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a favorite in our house.

Ingredients:

1 pound pizza dough. Frozen dough can also be used. Just thaw and let rise.
1/2 cup cooked artichoke hearts
1/2 cup Vidalia onion
1/2 cup roasted red peppers
1 large Portobello mushrooms
16 items Kalamata Olives
2 cloves garlic cloves
1 cup parsley
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp black pepper
8 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

Mix the Ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup parsley, 1/2 cup of Mozzarella cheese, 1 garlic clove chopped, salt and pepper. Once mixed together, set aside.

Chop all the Pizza topping ingredients, Kalamata olives in half, chop garlic, chop parsley, slice Portobello mushroom, slice Vidalia onion, cut artichoke hearts in half. Once all the ingredients are sliced and chopped, set aside.

Take the dough and flatten to a ¼ thickness. Place on a 14 inch non stick baking pan or parchment paper. Once dough is to desired size start layering ingredients. Spread the ricotta mixture on the dough leaving a 1 inch rim. Place the remaining ingredients on the pizza then drizzle olive oil and add the cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serves six people one slice each.
Points 10
Total prep and cook time, 50 minutes

Homemade Potato Salad

2009-07-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

This potato salad is an old tradition in my family. This is the way my mother made it with one exception. She used regular mayonnaise instead of light. 5 pounds of Idaho Potato’s
1 cup of chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoons of ground black pepper
24 oz. Kraft light mayonnaise.
2 cups of chopped celery
2 cups of chopped onions
6 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Peel and chop potatoes into bite size chunks.
Boil potato until tender. Once they are cooked, strain them and let cool.
Add the remaining ingredients into a bowl and mix. Once the potatoes are cooled add the mixture. Mix the mixture in very well so the potatoes become creamy.

This is a large batch of potato salad. It can be cut in half successfully.

Shredded BBQ Pork sandwiche

2009-07-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

My husband the Chief, loves Shredded Pork, beef and Chicken sandwiches; I prepared this recipe with a Pork tenderloin. It can also be made the same way substituting chicken or beef.

Ingredients:

3 pounds of pork tenderloin
2 Vidalia onion
1 bottle of KC Masterpiece Honey BBQ sauce
Two tables of olive oil
8 Plain buns or 8 onion rolls

Directions:

Start by chopping 1 Vidalia onions into a medium size. Heat oil in a large pot. Add the chopped onions to the oil and sauté to a golden brown. Take the second onion and cut into slices. In a separate pan, sauté onions to a golden brown and set aside.

Now take your pork tenderloin and cut into 1 inch chunks and add them to the golden brown onions. Braise the Pork Tenderloin until it is slightly praises. Add ½ of the Bottle of KC Masterpiece Honey BBQ sauce and 1 cup of water. Let the liquid reduce down until the pork tenderloin starts to braise. Repeat the braising process three times. After braising the pork tenderloin you will see it start to shred. Add the desired amount of KC Masterpiece Honey BBQ sauce to the shredded pork.

Toast the buns and layer pork onions and extra KC Masterpiece Honey BBQ Sauce.

This will make 8 sandwiches.