Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

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 8 x 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

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

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

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

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!!

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

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.