Cookin' Up a Storm

Chicken and Dumplings

2011-07-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

The ultimate in comfort foods from www.food.com.

CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS-- 4-6 servings

1 large broiler/fryer

4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2-1 teaspoon pepper
water

DUMPLINGS

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons oil

1 Combine chicken, celery, carrots, onion, chicken broth, parsley, chicken bouillon granules, salt and pepper in a large pan or dutch oven; add enough water to cover chicken.

2 Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours or until chicken is done.

3 Remove chicken and let stand until cool enough to handle.

4 Remove skin and bones from chicken.

6 Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

5 Return meat to soup.

7 In a mixing bowl, combine dumpling ingredients and mix well to form a stiff dough.

8 Return chicken to soup and return to a simmer.

9 Drop dumplings by tablespoonfuls into simmering soup.

10 Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then remove cover and simmer 10 more minutes.

11 Serve immediately.

*SOUTHERN STYLE DUMPLINGS (heavier and chewier) 2 cups flour, 1 cup chicken broth, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 beaten eggs. Combine flour, broth, baking powder and eggs; mix well to form a stiff batter. Drop by tablespoonfuls into simmering soup. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Double Chocolate Killers

2011-07-17T03:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm warning you right now--don't do it.

Now that you're duly warned, here's the recipe:

Chocolate Killers:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Chocolate Ganache:

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until just barely cooked.
4. While killers cool a bit, make ganache. Heat cream in heavy saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to boil around the edge (watch carefully).
5. Put chocolate chips in bowl and pour hot cream over. Let stand for about 1 minute.
6. Stir in circular motion in a single direction for at least 1 minute until smooth.
7. Let ganache cool until just warm. Refrigerate to speed it up if desired.
8. Pour ganache over warm chocolate killers spreading to the edge of pan.
9. Let cool. Cut into small squares. Keep in refrigerator.

Best Banana Cake Ever!

2011-07-04T03:30:00.000-07:00

I'm a banana lover--banana bread, banana shakes, banana ice cream, banana cake, or just plain bananas--I'm a big fan!
It seems like most banana cakes taste basically just like banana bread, but this one is definitely cake. It is the very best banana cake recipe I've ever found--it's awesome! Don't be afraid to put the cake right from the hot oven into the freezer, but make sure you use a metal or pyrex baking dish.
(I meant to take a photo, but it got snarfed up before I had a chance, so this is lifted from the 'net.)

CAKE:

3/4 c. butter

2 1/8 c. sugar

3 eggs

2 t. vanilla

3 c. flour

1 1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

2 t. lemon juice

1 1/2 c. mashed banana

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat over to 275 F. Grease & flour 9x13" baking dish (pyrex or metal).

In a small bowl combine mashed bananas and lemon juice. Set aside. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream 3/4 c. butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time; add vanilla.

Beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into baking dish.

Bake in oven for 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and immediately place in freezer for 45 minutes.

FROSTING:

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

3 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

DIRECTIONS: Beat all ingredients in order until smooth. Spread on cooled cake.

Project: Tasty Lots from Other Spots

2011-06-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

Quick story: during World War II, my great-grandfather moved from the USSR to the United States. He was Lithuanian and in a small town in central Maine there was a small diaspora of Lithuanians. He met and married a Lithuanian woman there, and lived there the rest of his life. My mum was born to his son, which makes me a quarter Lithuanian.

Flash to present day: people in Utah celebrate the arrival of the Latter-day Saint (or Mormon) pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley like it's the Fourth of July--sometimes bigger than that. It is when the state was established and so it's a big deal. The LDS church world wide doesn't necessarily celebrate this day, though for many of them it does stand as a memorial of the struggles the first Latter-day Saints endured to practice their religion freely. In many other western states--such as California--it is celebrated by members of the church with large picnics, games, etc.

Since I am LDS, I will be partaking in this year's celebration in my ward. But we are not celebrating just the first LDS pioneers but pioneers around the world who are only now discovering the gospel and bringing it to their families, friends, and countrymen. The idea is this: a large picnic. The church will provide chicken and rice, and members will sign up to bring side dishes and desserts (and display items) from around the world. I thought about what I would bring for a while. You see, not only am I Lithuanian, but I'm also largely Scot-Irish, and have a healthy dose of English. Scot-Irish food was taken already, so that was out, but I don't really know much about Lithuanian food and have never been to Lithuania. Nor do I have anything from there. Same with Scotland and Ireland for that matter. So I thought about signing up for Russia--I studied the Russian language as my minor in college and though I've never been there, I have many friends from Russia, and have received authentic gifts and lessons in culture from them. Of course, I also thought of doing New England--O! Blessed homeland! How I miss thee!

Sorry, got a little carried away there.

Ultimately, I signed up for the Micronesian Islands--specifically Saipan (if that is specific when it comes to culture; not really I guess). I lived there for four years and my family is still there (I told you the decision was difficult), and obviously people are very curious.

Anyway, what this is all about is to tell you I've decided to dig into my roots a little--foodie style. I'm going to cook one traditional meal a week from now until September 11th from one of the countries of my origins. This will force me not only to look more into the culture but also double check where I'm from! So far this is the list I get to pick from:

Lithuania
Ireland
Scotland
Poland
England

I think I've got some French and German in there too, but I'm sure they're pretty tiny amounts, so I'll stick with these until I prove otherwise. So, if anyone's got any meal suggestions, send them my way!

Grilled Greek Tacos by Our Best Bites

2011-06-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

I made these the other night for dinner and they were such a hit that I would be remiss in not sharing--WOW! They're good! In fact, they were so popular with my family that now, 2 days later, my son has requested that we have them again soon. They're a little work intensive in the prep, but as easy to put together as...a taco!
Here's the link: Grilled Greek Tacos by Our Best Bites and a photo to get you going!

Popovers

2011-04-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful, no-fail recipe. I made them for Sunday morning and they turned out to be the best popovers I've ever eaten!

2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and grease 6 muffin tin cups well (I just spray them well with cooking spray). In a medium bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add flour, milk, and salt and whisk just until smooth--do NOT overbeat. Pour batter into muffin cups to fill. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 5 or 6 large popovers.

Flautas

2011-03-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

My man took the reigns again tonight for dinner. He is something of a connoisseur of all foods south of the border. So he offered to make flautas this week for dinner and I scheduled him for tonight!

Mmmmmmm...flautas...

Anyway, they're pretty easy to make. Here's how it's done:

Ingredients:

corn tortillas (we use Guerrero)

oil for frying

chicken

Directions:

1. In a deep fry pan, pour between 1/2 inch to an inch of oil. Turn the burner to medium and allow the oil to heat.

2. Meanwhile, Cook the chicken thoroughly and shred it. Or, if you prefer, shred it and then cook it. We're flexible.

3. Lay a little of the shredded chicken on a tortilla. Roll into a tube (we recommend sticking a toothpick through it to keep it that way, they tend to break easily) and put into the heated oil. Fry until lightly golden.

Enjoy topped with lettuce (or spinach if you forgot this is what you were having for dinner and didn't get any lettuce, but happily found it tasted alright), pevre, and sour cream. We had rice and black beans on the side. Delish! Thanks, hon!

Black Bean Burrito

2011-03-04T20:49:00.000-08:00

These were on the menu for tomorrow night, but I got home about an hour too late for what I had planned, so I threw this together instead. I had a rough idea of what I wanted, but I will admit the result is about ten times better than what I expected! They were so good!

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 t. ground cumin
2 T. oil
1/2 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
about 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, partly drained
1/2 t. ground chile
about 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 pkg. tortillas (I used Guerrero's Tortillas de Harina Fresquiricas 'cause Mike says they're the best other than homemade)

Directions:
1. In a small sauce pan, heat black beans with a little water (maybe 1/2 can) and cumin over medium-high heat. Bring to a light boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer until water has reduced to a couple tablespoons.
2. Meanwhile, in a large fry pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until soft and translucent. Add jalapeno and diced tomatoes. Turn up heat and bring to a light boil; reduce heat and allow to simmer until sauce has thickened. Add ground chile. Add beans to tomato sauce. Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese until melted.
3. On a flat griddle, over medium-low heat, lay out tortillas. Cook until light golden color on each side. Fill with bean-and-sauce mixture; roll into burrito and serve with salsa and sour cream (or yogurt if you're Mum).

Quinoa Stir Fry

2011-03-01T14:24:00.000-08:00

I don't actually know if this would qualify as a stir fry, but I really just don't care. So that's what I'm calling it. I have cooked with quinoa quite a bit as of late--it's a whole protein with none of the fat or cholesterol you get from meat.

For the record, I am a meat lover. LOVER. But I'm also a life lover, which means I've got to reign in my meat-loving-ness once in a while. Not to mention I'm also poor, though to be honest, quinoa doesn't help too much in that regard.

Back to what I was saying before, I've been cooking with it a lot lately, but nothing has really been great so far. Quinoa is really good for you, and tastes like something fish would eat (i.e. bland). It has very little flavor at all. But last night I had a quinoa revelation! I took random vegetables from my fridge, chopped them up and added some dill and--oh, it was just great! The carrots and baby spinach added some sweetness to it and the rest just gave a nice round flavor. Even Mike liked it, and I have been hard pressed to get him in with the quinoa since I started experimenting with it. Anyway, here goes:

Ingredients:
1 c. quinoa, cooked like rice (literally, just cook it like rice; I did add some tomato-chicken bullion to it while it cooked)
2 T. oil
3 medium carrots, rinsed (I never peel my vegetables, it's just too much work)
2 large cloves garlic, peeled (obviously)
2 celery ribs, rinsed
about 8 ounces cherry tomatoes (or any tomatoes of similar size, these are heirloom 'cause that's what I had)

a handful of baby spinach, rinsed and torn

pinch of salt

about 1/2 T. dried dill

Directions:
1. While quinoa is cooking, put oil in a large pan over medium heat. Slice up carrots and add to oil. Mince garlic and add to carrots. Let cook for about five minutes, tossing occasionally so carrots and garlic don't burn.
2. Chop the celery and slice tomatoes in halves and add to the pan. Again, keep stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
3. As soon as quinoa is finished, add it to the vegetables. (You may need to add a little bit of water to prevent burning. A half-cup should do.) Stir to mix. Turn off the burner and add baby spinach; stir until the spinach is slightly wilted. Add salt and dill.

Note: You could use this as a side dish, but we just ate it for supper with no sides. This was enough for me, my baby daughter, and my manly-eating husband, but there weren't any leftovers.

Mixed Veggie Pasta

2011-02-16T19:43:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Mike took the reigns during lunch and whipped this together in like ten minutes--hallelujah to intelligent, resourceful husbands who appreciate both taste and health. (Okay, it's alfredo sauce, but we did get lots of vegetables in there.)

Ingredients:
Alfredo sauce--bought or (way better) the recipe at the bottom of the post
8 oz. fusilli pasta, cooked al dente
1/2 T. oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
2 handfuls baby spinach, rinsed
1/2 c. frozen peas
1/2 c. frozen corn

Directions:
1. While alfredo and pasta are cooking, saute garlic and onion in oil until onion is soft. Add tomato, peas, and corn; saute until tomato is soft. Add spinach and immediately turn off burner.
2. Drain pasta; add to vegetable mixture. Add sauce and stir until all is combined. Add pepper to taste.

Mama Conner's Wicked Alfredo:
Ingredients:
1 stick butter
2/3 to 1 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. cream (or milk, whatever you normally have in your fridge will do fine, just use a little less)
1 egg, beaten
pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Melt butter over medium heat. Add Parmesan, whisking constantly. Turn heat to low and add milk. Stir in egg and add pepper.

This makes a bunch of alfredo--easily enough to cover a pound of pasta. Mike says he scaled it down by using 2 T. butter, 1/3 c. Parmesan cheese, a drop of milk (however much pours out when you just tip it down then up) and 1 egg, beaten.

Whoopie Pie Classics

2011-02-14T22:19:00.000-08:00

This recipe is a recipe (I've indicated my variations), I found on allrecipes.com. The cookies are excellent and easy and the filling is light and fluffy and not too sweet. I've also made them as red velvet whoopie pies by adding a 1 oz. bottle (or more) of red food coloring. This yields about 3 dozen whoopie pies.

COOKIE -

1 cup shortening
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sour milk (I use plain yogurt)
4 cups flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa)
1 tsp. salt
1 cup hot water
2 tsp. baking soda

FILLING -
1 1/2 cups shortening
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tbs. vanilla extract
2 egg whites, beaten (I use reconstituted powdered egg whites)

DIRECTIONS -
1. Preheat over to 400 degrees F. Cover cookie sheets with parchment.
2. Make cookies. In large bowl cream shortening and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and yogurt. In separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and salt. Sift together with a whisk and stir into shortening mixture. Dissolve baking soda in hot water and gradually add to shortening mixture until thoroughly combined. Drop onto prepared pans using a medium-sized cookie scoop.
3. Bake in oven 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
4. Prepare filling. Cream together shortening, powdered sugar, and flour until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in milk and vanilla until well mixed. Fold in egg whites.
5. To assemble whoopie pies, put 1-2 tablespoons of filling on a cookie and top with another cookie.

These are best if individually wrapped and refrigerated to set up the filling, but are delicious at any time!

Stuffed Pasta Shells

2011-01-25T19:40:00.000-08:00

I first made this a year ago and it was meh. I've made them a couple times since, trying to improve on the recipe and they've been meh every time. Until tonight! I think I added twice as much garlic as I usually do and they came out very nice!

Ingredients:
16 to 20 jumbo pasta shells, cooked part-way
1/2 lb. fresh baby spinach (not frozen)
15 oz. Ricotta cheese
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
Parmesan cheese
ground black pepper
your favorite red sauce

Directions:
1. While shells are cooking, boil spinach in water
3-5 minutes. Drain well. Mix together with Ricotta, garlic, Parmesan, and pepper.
2. Drain shells and rinse with luke-warm water until cool enough to handle.
3. In bottom of 9-by-9 in. deep-dish baking pan, pour about 1/4 c. red sauce and spread along the bottom. Stuff shells as full as you can and place in baking dish. Cover with red sauce and sprinkle Parmesan over the top.
4. Bake at 350* F. for 15 to 20 minutes. Let sit 3 to 5 minutes before serving.

Crangeberry Salad

2011-01-25T19:19:00.000-08:00

And yes, I did just blend orange and cranberry. That's how I roll. I realize I've been gone a ridiculously long time, but let's be honest, it's not been my longest hiatus. I really am trying to be better about posting. But sometimes I get in these ruts where I don't make anything new for a week or two. Boring. Not that every meal needs to be new and exciting, but I like to mix it up at least once a week. My other excuse is better: I was gone for three weeks visiting family. Deal.

When I returned from abroad, I discovered the two bags of fresh whole cranberries in the back of my fridge. Ah, yes...what to do with them? My mum had made some awesome sugared cranberries for Christmas but I didn't have the recipe, and you know my rule about posting things on here, so I had to think up something else. Then some friends invited us over for dinner a couple of Sundays ago. "Bring a salad." Of course. That's what everyone brings when they're not making the main dish. Cranberries in a salad sounded different--and most of all it used some of those dang berries! This makes enough for two people, so be ready to pump it up when your family starts asking for it.

Ingredients:
1 small orange, sectioned (I've used clementines and navel, I think I like the navel better)
a handful of fresh cranberries, rinsed
about three handfuls of mixed salad greens, rinsed
a handful of chopped or whole walnuts
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. canola oil
1 T. honey
1/2 T. spicy mustard

Directions:
1. On a bed of the greens, add cranberries, walnuts, and orange slices.
2. In separate bowl make honey dressing by whisking together vinegar, oil, honey, and mustard. Pour on salad (you may not use it all). Toss lightly.

Note: The dressing is kind of experimental. I didn't make it the first time, we just ate it with a raspberry vinaigrette my friends had. I never keep salad dressing in the house, so I decided to give making one a shot. Honey sounded good, so I did that, but I didn't have any mustard. It tasted fine, but it needed a little more flavor, hence the added mustard. Although maybe garlic would work better. Let me know if you make it what you think!

Pistachio Cheesecake

2010-12-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

Every year my husband has the same dilemma when his birthday approaches: does he choose the cake he grew up eating on his birthday--a great cold pistachio pudding cake--or does he eat my cheesecake? Invariably he goes between the two three or four times before I finally tell him, "Look, I'm making your cake tomorrow. Tell me what you want so I can get the stuff and make the blasted thing!" This year was no different. Pistachio was answer number one this year, but was ousted by cheesecake the next morning.

But then it hit me: there has got to be a pistachio cheesecake recipe out in the universe somewhere. Surprise, surprise: there was. But none of the recipes wowed me. Not that I made them mind you--hello! This is cheesecake! I can't afford to make demos! So I used my basic cheesecake recipe adjusted for size (this is a smaller cake), and changed a few things around until--VOILA!--the creamy, nutty, pistachio-flavored, green cheesecake my husband hadn't dreamt of in his wildest mind-wanderings! (Okay, I don't know that it's that good, but he really liked it.)

And now I share it with you:
Ingredients:
6 oz. shelled pistachios
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/4 c. butter, melted
------------------------
16 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temp.
2/3 c. (scant) sugar
1 t. almond extract
2-3 large eggs, room temp.
2/3 c. sour cream
1 (3.4 oz.) pkg. pistachio pudding
1/2 pint whipped cream

Directions:
Crust
1. In blender or food processor, process pistachios until finely ground. Pour out 1/2 cup and save it. Add walnuts to the blender and process again until walnuts and pistachios are finely ground and mixed. Pour into a small bowl. Add melted butter to the mixture and mix until all is moist and crumbly.
2. Pour crumble into the bottom of a 6-inch, greased, spring-form cake pan. Pat down with your fingers to cover the bottom (and lower sides, if desired) of the pan. Set aside.
Filling:
1. With an electric beater, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and almond extract. Beat until blended. Add eggs one at a time until just blended. If batter seems too thick and pudding-like, add another. Add sour cream and pistachio pudding mix and beat well.
2. Bake at 325* F. for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the center of the cake is set. When done, turn off oven and crack door slightly. Let cool entirely in the oven. (This is usually where I go to bed.) Run a knife around the inside of the pan before loosening the spring. This helps to prevent cracks.
3. Top with whipped cream and remaining pistachios and chill until you serve.

NOTE: A waterbath helps to prevent cracks in your cheesecake. I usually don't do it 'cause the cheesecake is topped with something anyway, but here's how in case you're interested: After filling the cake pan, set it inside another pan wider than itself but just about as deep. Carefully pour water into the outside pan until it reaches between 1/3 and 1/2-way up the inside pan. Bake as usual.

Mallory's Tasty Spinach-Artichoke Dip in a Cinch

2010-11-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

So my husband called me from work one day, and the conversation went something like this:

Him: "So, D and G invited us over to watch the game tonight."

Me: "Oh, cool!"

Him: "So I told them we'd bring chips and dip--or ya know, some kind of appetizer."

Me: "Oh..."

Him: "Is that cool?"

Me: "Yeah, I'm sure we have something."

Let me make it clear that if there are two things you probably wont find in our apartment, they're chips and dip. But I knew I must--must--have something for making a dip. I jumped online and searched around and then I remembered those marinated artichokes I had bought for a pizza that we never made last week. Then I remembered the spinach-artichoke dip we had the last time we visited some of my husband's family--one of his cousins had just gotten a job working at a local market (he's in high school) and he was the salsa boy! (No bright costumes required. He made salsa and dips, etc.) And I thought, "Hmmmmm...I bet I can recreate that!" So I dug into my fridge and thus was born Mallory's Tasty Spinach-Artichoke Dip in a Cinch!

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, slightly softened

2 handfuls of baby spinach, chopped

1 green onion (including white), chopped fine

1 (6.5 oz) jar marinated artichokes, chopped coarse

some of the marinade

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic

Directions:

1. With a hand beater, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add all other ingredients and beat until well mixed. Adjust as needed. Serve with crackers.

Garlic Spinach

2010-11-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

I was eves-dropping on a conversation a couple nights ago (it's a nasty habit, I know, but I just can't help it!) and I suddenly heard the words "spinach" "garlic" and "olive oil" and I thought,

WHAAAA????

I remember growing up, my mum bribed my little brothers with the idea that they would be as strong as Popeye if they ate all their spinach. (I hope everyone reading this blog is old enough to know who Popeye is. Otherwise, you're probably too young to be using the internet without direct supervision.) I also remember spinach coming mainly from a can and boiled in a pan, although I did know it was eaten fresh and uncooked in faraway parts of the world. Even so, I always liked spinach, at least that I can remember. I remember putting lots of butter and vinegar on it, but I liked it. (My mum's probably going to comment on this post and leave a bunch of "corrections.") Since then I have eaten spinach mostly raw and in salads, which is good, but gets kind of old, I'll be honest. But I know I'm supposed to get plenty of leafy greens every day, so when I heard the aforementioned word-combination I grew terribly excited. Last night and tonight we had this recipe as a side. (My husband is probably less excited than I.)

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

LOTS of raw baby spinach (I'm still trying to get the amount right, it just cooks down so much!), I'd say maybe 5 or 6 big handfuls (two hands for me), washed and chopped coarse

1 large clove of garlic, diced

2 t. apple cider vinegar

Directions:

In a pan, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add spinach and saute until mostly wilted. Remove from heat and add vinegar. Toss to coat. Serve immediatly.

Did you know cooked spinach has more than 20Mg of lutein per cup and raw spinach only has 3.7Mg? That's pretty interesting, ain't it? Lutein is an antioxidant, in case you didn't know, and directly helps our eyes and skin. On top of that, apple cider vinegar (which is really popular back East, but doesn't seem to be so much out West) is also full of antioxidants and malic acid, which helps fight fungal and bacterial infections. So eat up!

Pumpkin Bread

2010-11-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

My church has started a test kitchen and we held our first meeting last week. (We also started a blog. Guess who's in charge? You can visit it here.) The theme for our first meeting was pumpkin and other gourds and root vegetables. There was some pretty creative stuff there, but I admit, I was expecting lots of pumpkin pies and pumpkin bread. I also admit that though that was what I was expecting I decided to make pumpkin bread anyway, and yes, I was one of the two people who had brought something someone else did. A food party faux pas, which I am now over.

Anyway, when I found a recipe that seemed good enough, I delved in whole-heartedly, only to come to things like, "3 cups sugar" and "1 cup oil" and think, "I bet I could do better..." and I--well--I don't know if I did or not to be honest, since I never made the original recipe! But this recipe is at least a little healthier, and oh-so-moist!

Ingredients:

1 can (15 oz.) solid pack pumpkin

3 eggs

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. yogurt (plain or vanilla)

2/3 c. water

2 1/4 c. sugar

3 c. flour

2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. cloves

1/2 t. ginger

Directions:

1. Mix pumpkin, eggs, oil, yogurt, water, and sugar together. Blend well.

2. In separate bowl, dry whisk the remaining ingredients (flour through ginger). Add to pumpkin mixture in three batches, mixing well after each addition.

3. Pour batter into prepared baking tins (this made two 4-by-9 loaves). Bake at 350* for 50 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

NOTE: My loaves started darkening quite a bit around the edges, so I put some tin foil over just those spots to keep them from burning.

Consider This

2010-10-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I saw a book in the library called All Cakes Considered, by Melissa Gray. I grew up listening to "All Things Considered" on NPR and the title caught my attention--not to mention I was looking for a book on cake-making, obviously since I was in the cooking section looking at titles that had "cake" in them. I grabbed the book and brought it home.

It's a great idea: Gray--who works at NPR--started making cakes and taking them into work once a week to improve upon her hobby. She decided to write a cookbook that covered the topic of cakes and how-to from start to finish. Basically, she has written the book for people who start out their baking lives not knowing the difference between a bundt pan and a rubber spatula, though she does invite those of us who maybe a little more experience to feel free to jump around a bit. Anyway, each cake has a little story that goes along with it, you know, a fun little cake cookbook right?

I read the whole book before I ever even read a recipe. I loved it! I wish text books were written by Melissa Gray because maybe then I would have read one or two of them. Unfortunately, the due date for the book came before I could try many of the cakes in her chapter entitled, "Layer Cakes, Angle Food Cakes, Moderately Sinful Cakes, All on the Road to Heaven and Hell." I did get to try her "Whipped Cream Cake" though, along with her honey buttercream frosting. (Hey, it was my daughter's birthday, okay?) In fact, the only fault I can find with the book is there is no recipe for carrot cake, which Gray says she hates. She's missing out! Also, and this isn't really a complaint, I'm just letting you know, there are no cheesecake recipes. I love cheesecake, but it's not what I was looking for anyway. I already know how to make cheesecakes, and that is knowledge I shall share with you if you'd like.

Anyway, for my birthday, my in-laws sent me a gift card to Amazon.com and I knew exactly what I was going to buy with it: All Cakes Considered. And today--finally--it came! I am so excited to try more of her cakes!

First Apple Pie of the Season

2010-10-17T08:16:00.000-07:00

It just doesn't seem like fall until I make an apple pie. It's funny, 'cause it's not even the first pie I think of when people ask, "what pie reminds you most of fall?" The answer to that would be pumpkin. And other pies trump apple in other seasons: winter is mincemeat, spring isn't pie at all--it's blueberry cheesecake--and summer is strawberry-rhubarb pie. And yet, a good apple pie--though humble and "ordinary"--is awfully hard to beat. And it's funny, 'cause I always forget that until I make one and take a bite out of it. Like this one I just made. I dipped into a piece of that warm apple pie with a pinch of ice cream on the tip of my fork and popped that in my mouth and I thought, "Man! Apple pie is so dang GOOD!"

I have no picture yet of this particular pie--mostly because when I put the top crust on part of the lettering stuck to the countertop. It was going to be so cute, too! *sigh* I guess I'll have to make another. Poor me. Poor husband! Poor dinner guests.

This is mostly my mum's apple pie filling, plus the cloves. And as a general rule, I do not measure out my spices. I just shake them in until I think it's going to taste good. (This usually results in more spices.)

Mum's Apple Pie Filling

Ingredients:
6 c. apples, peeled and sliced (about 6-8 whole apples)
2/3-3/4 c. sugar
2 T. flour
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cloves
dash of salt

Directions:
1. Mix apples and sugar. Let sit 30 minutes. (This is just about how long it will take for you to make your crust made and rolled out.)
2. Mix with other ingredients and let sit 5 minutes. (Enough time for you to roll out a top crust and cut out a design.)
3. Dish into prepared pie shell. Lay top crust and brush with milk.
4. Bake at 425 for about 45 minutes.

Chicken Curry

2010-09-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Growing up, my mum made foods from all over the world--foods I didn't know were "exotic" until I was in middle school and started sleeping over at friends houses and realizing they had never eaten them before, except maybe at restaurants. Curry is one of them. I've eaten it all my life as a little kid in a rural town in Maine and--lo, and behold--it's actually a Southeast-Asian dish! Who knew?

This is based off of my mum's chicken curry recipe that she got from some cookbook years ago (sorry, I don't recall the name). This recipe though has had some revisions. As good as Mum's curry is, I have now had the pleasure of being patron to many a Thai restaurant and I like to think I have improved upon the original by way of the taste-test-adjust method. I made this one a few nights ago and my husband and I agreed: it is the best curry I have ever made and is on par with curries at gourmet Thai restaurants. (DISCLAIMER: Notice I said gourmet? I am in no way claiming to be authentic. If you have a problem with that, then feel free to send me your authentic curry recipe and I'll try it out. Of course, you would be given due credit.)

Ingredients:
2 T. butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 cube of bouillon
1/4 c. water
1/2-2 T curry powder (more or less according to your love of curry and spiciness)
1 1/2 t. ginger
1/4 t. cumin
1 can coconut milk
1 1/4 c. milk (I use whole, but you can really use whatever)
1 chicken breast, chopped/shredded and cooked (You could also use beef.)

Directions:
1. Sauté onion in butter over medium heat until soft.
2. Add bouillon and water and stir until dissolved. Add curry, cumin, and ginger. Stir until dissolved.
3. Add coconut milk and milk. Stir well. Taste and adjust as necessary.
4. Add chicken.

Serve over rice and top with bananas, tomatoes, pineapple, flaked coconut and soy sauce!

Home Fries

2010-09-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

Three words to describe home fries: Classic. Tasty. Potatoes.

Don't feel bad if you couldn't think up such poetic words on your own. My degree is in English.

Home fries are ridiculously easy to make unless you fall victim to one FATAL MISTAKE. But more about that later.

Here's the recipe for some good homey home fries.

Ingredients:
4-5 medium red potatoes
seasoned salt

Directions:
1. Lightly but thoroughly spray a shallow-edged pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. After washing the potatoes, slice them in half, and then sliver each half into four or five wedges. BE CAREFUL DOING THIS. Use a sharp knife and watch your fingers.
3. Spread potato wedges in one layer over the pan. Sprinkle seasoned salt lightly over the potatoes. Stir around with a spatula and sprinkle a little more over the potatoes.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Viola! You have classic. Tasty. Potatoes.

WARNING! THIS IS THE FATAL MISTAKE! (And you thought it was cutting your fingers off, didn't you?) Seasoned salt is delightful and tasty and salty, but be careful how much you use. It is better to not have enough than to have too much. You may want to start out light at first and then adjust it next time if you like the fries a little saltier.

Mama Conner's Pizza Crust

2010-09-15T19:57:00.001-07:00

For those of you who have never had it, homemade pizza is to die for. AND it's actually a pretty healthy meal! My mum has made this pizza crust about every week since I was a kid. Since I have a lot of siblings, this pizza crust is designed to make a lot, so you have a choice: (a) you can cut the recipe down to fit what you need, or (b) you can make all of the recipe, divide it into sections, wrap each section and freeze it. It freezes well for up to three weeks I would say. After that, it's certainly usable, but different somehow. (Just so you know, I do option b.)

If you decide to go with option b, do let the dough thaw overnight in the fridge and then set it out on a floured counter (unwrapped so it has room to expand) for a good hour to let it warm up. I'll tell ya, trying to roll out cold pizza dough is not as fun as it sounds--and it really doesn't sound that fun, so that's saying something!

Ingredients:
4 c. flour (plus more, so keep your flour out)
4 c. HOT tap water (most taps will get up to about 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which is right
where you want it)
4 tsp. dry active yeast
2 tsp. brown sugar
1/4 oil (I like to use olive oil when I have it on hand, but any will do)
1 Tbsp. salt

Directions:
1. Mix flour and tap water. Stir in yeast. Add brown sugar, oil, and salt. Mix well.
2. Stir in flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough starts to come away from the bowl and form a ball. (If you are using a KitchenAid type mixer, be sure you have your bread hook on and rest assured, the dough will eventually start pulling away from the bowl and clinging to the hook.) Once the dough is fairly easy to handle, pour it from the bowl onto a clean, floured surface.

For THIN CRUST pizza: divide into 4 or 5 loaves. Roll out all the crusts you will be using. Place on a pizza pan or pizza stone and stick it in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes (this isn't necessary, but it keeps the middle nice and crispy). Top and bake immediately after taking out of the fridge.

For THICK CRUST pizza: Let single loaf rise 15 to 30 minutes. Divide into 3 or 4 loaves. Roll out all you will be using. Allow to rise on pans/stones while oven preheats. Top and bake.

Bake between 475 and 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wrap the unused loaves securely but loose enough to allow them to expand a little, because they will do so even in your freezer.

Note: I have this same recipe posted on another blog. To view this version and other recipes, please visit Budget Bites.

Grammy Haskins' Blue Cheese Dip

2010-07-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

Another dip from Gram Haskins. You could dip chips or (better yet) buffalo wings in this!

1 tub sour cream

1 tub cottage cheese

1 pkg. blue cheese crumbles

Mix. Dip. Done.

Grammy Haskins' Onion Dip

2010-07-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

Really easy and really good for ruffled chips (or any chips really!)

1 pkg. onion soup mix

1 tub of sour cream

Mix. Dip. Done.

Mrs. Powell's Pie Crust

2010-07-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

This recipe makes a lot--between four and five separate crusts (two double-crust pies and one one-crust pie with the leftovers). So it's great when you have a lot of pies to make at once (can you say THANKSGIVING?!) Otherwise you may want to divide it in half.

Pie Crust:

4 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 Tblsp. sugar

2 c. shortening

1 c. cold water (you may need a little more)

1. Mix salt, sugar, and flour. Cut in shortening. Add water and blend together with a fork until all dough is moist.

2. Turn out on floured surface (dough may not be holding together very well yet, but with kneading, it will). Knead five or six times. (The less you handle the dough the more tender the crust will be.)

3. Divide into four pieces; each will make a separate pie crust.

Four a double-crust pie, I recommend cutting out the vents in the top before putting the top crust on. It makes it a lot easier! Brush with egg wash or milk (I use milk). You may also sprinkle with a little sugar to give it a bit of a sparkly look.

S.C. Lemon Squares

2010-05-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Confectioners' sugar
2 sticks margarine, softened
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice

Directions:
Mix 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Cut in margarine until crumbly. Press into well-greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake in 350-degree oven for 15 minutes. Combine eggs, sugar, and 1/4 cup flour in mixer bowl; mix well with electric mixer. Add lemon juice. Pour over crust. Bake 25 minutes longer or until light golden color. Sprinkle with additional confectioners' sugar. Cool before cutting.

(from the 1980 National Grange Cookbook)

Gnocchi (n-yo-ki)

2010-01-29T20:42:00.001-08:00

Oh, the most beautiful of pastas! And I really mean that. Ya know, I am not really a homemade pasta kind of woman. I've never made it, but it just looks like a whole lot more work than I'm willing to do, at least at this point in my life. We'll see what happens when I actually have some counter space!

Gnocchi though--oh, gnocchi! It is SOOOOO worth the effort. (Of course, it also helps that Mike's the one who makes it.) Mike has made it a few times, and here is what he says:

Potatoes: some people will say you need to use a certain kind of potato. Truth be told, he's used reds, golds, and russets. It doesn't matter, as long as it equals about one large russet potato.

Directions:

1. Boil in enough water to just cover the potato. (You may need to add more as it evaporates.) NOTE: Don't put the potato into the water after it's boiling. They should heat up together. This prevents the skin from loosening and floating around in the water.

2. The potato is done when it's soft enough to poke a fork into but doesn't break apart. At this point, take it out and with a hand mixer or a potato masher, break the potato up. It should

come out grainy more than whipped. (You can peel it if you want to, but he never does.)

3. Add a beaten egg to the potato and mix it in. Add salt and pepper, and even garlic if you like.

4. Add flour by the handful to the potato until it forms a dough that is soft but not sticky. It takes about two of Mike's handfuls, but just add it and mix until it feels right.

5. Break off a chunk of the dough and put on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a snake about a half-inch thick. With a sharp knife,

cut the snake into pieces about an inch wide. You'll need plenty of counter space so the cut gnocchi don't touch each other. Repeat with the rest of the dough until it's all done.

6. In a pot of boiling water, maintained at medium-high, drop the gnocchi in one at a time, not by handfuls. They still can't touch! Pay attention because the gnocchi will cook quickly--between 30 and 60 seconds. As soon as they rise to the surface, spoon them out into a dish. Repeat until they're all finished.

7. We used pesto for our sauce, Classico was really good, and topped it with freshly grated Parmesan. We sauteed mushrooms, bell pepper, tomatoes, olives, and onion and mixed those in with the finished gnocchi and served it with seasoned chicken, a salad, and bread sticks.

Altogether, there was enough food to easily feed us and our three guests. Without the breadsticks and chicken, it might have been more a three-person meal. You can adjust it as necessary.

Mincemeat Pie

2009-11-22T08:54:00.000-08:00

This is Nana Conner's mincemeat pie recipe, and it is dang good. For those of you who aren't familiar with mincemeat, I will warn you it is an intense flavor, and as for making it, it takes quite a bit of chopping. If you have a blender though, you can do it without a grinder, which is what I did.

This is cut WAY down--enough to make one pie. It also makes it kind of hard to give exact amounts on some things, but here are approximations (without a grinder):

1 c. cooked beef (NOT ground beef; I used some steak cuts)

2 c. apples (about two good-sized braeburns)

1/3 c. suet (just ask for it at the butcher's), cut into slices and blended fine in blender

about 1/2 lb. raisins, blended in a blender (they don't need to be as fine as the meat)

Cut the beef into small strips and shred in a blender. Dice the apples fine. (These two steps take the longest, but after that it's pretty easy.) Mix together in a large mixing bowl with the suet and raisins.

Mix with:

about 1/3 c. vinegar

1 T. molasses

Sprinkle in:

cloves

nutmeg

allspice

ginger

cinnamon

1 c. sugar

salt

I just sprinkled and stirred, sprinkled and stirred until it smelled like mincemeat.

Cook all together in large, deep skillet until apples are tender but not mushy.

You can can it for months I guess, but since I just made enough for one pie, I put it into jars and let it sit in the fridge for about a week like Aunt Rinda said to. It came out great!

Corn Bread-Oyster Stuffing

2009-11-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

I've used this recipe for quite a few years now and we love it!

1-1/2 cups butter
2 pkg (8 oz. size) corn bread stuffing mix
3 cans (7 oz. size) oysters
1/2 cup each chopped onion, green pepper, and celery
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/4 tsp. pepper

In 6-qt pot, heat 1 cup water and 1 cup butter, to melt butter. Remove from heat, toss with stuffing mix.
Drain oysters; cut in half. In 1/2 cup butter in medium pan, saute oysters, onion, green pepper, and celery, 5 minutes. Add salt, rosemary, pepper. Add to stuffing; toss lightly to mix well.

Makes enough for a large (20-25 lb.) turkey.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2009-11-22T07:43:00.000-08:00

We love whoopie pies--who doesn't? Ever since Mal had a pumpkin whoopie pie when she worked in Bar Harbor, I've searched for a good recipe, but never found one until this. It's wonderful! This recipe is taken from http://www.familyfun.com/.

PUMPKIN CAKES:
2 eggs
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

FILLING/CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 to 5 cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in the pumpkin. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture a half cup at a time, blending each time until smooth.
Drop a heaping tablespoon of batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet, using a moist finger or the back of a spoon to slightly flatten each mound. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract in a bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar a half cup at a time, until the frosting is spreadable.
To assemble the pies, turn half of the cookies bottom side up and spread a generous amount of cream cheese frosting on each one. Top them with the remaining cookies (turned right side up). Makes 2 dozen whoopie pies.

Pistachio Pudding Cake

2009-10-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

This is the cake Mike asked for every year before he met me and decided to switch to cheese cake. He was craving it enough the past few weeks to finally call his mother and get the ingredients. (I had to call and get the recipe from his sister, since he didn't do it when he had his mom on the phone.) Anyway, here it is!

Cake:

1 yellow cake mix

3 eggs

1 small package instant pistachio pudding mix

1 c. club soda

1/4 c. oil

1/2 c. nuts, chopped (I used walnuts)

Beat all ingredients well for two minutes. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Icing:

1 package Dream Whip (or any whipped topping mix)

1 small package instant pistachio pudding mix

1 1/2 c. milk

Mix until thickened. Sprinkle with more chopped nuts if desired.

The cake can be served hot, but it's a lot better served chilled. The colder the better!

Medovyi pirog - Russian Honey Cake

2009-07-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

For my Russian culture class, we had FOOD DAY today! (I have been looking forward to this day for months!) We were instructed to bring in anything we liked as long as it was actually Russian. I made медовый пирог (pronounced medovyi pirog... kind of) or, honey cake. It takes a while just because the process requires some cooling periods, etc, but it's really not that hard. I tried to include pictures all the way through because there are times when you wont think it looks like there's any force on this planet that could make it look the way it should in the end, but it will.

Ingredients:

Cake -

2 eggs

3/4 c. sugar

1 t. baking soda

1 T. honey (warm)

7 T. butter

2 c. flour

Filling and Icing -

3 1/4 c. sour cream (about 720 g)

1/2 c. sugar (it's to taste, but it comes out to about 1/2 c. Too much and it loses it's tanginess)

1 T. honey

ground/finely chopped walnuts

crushed plain sweet biscuit crumbs*

1. Beat eggs and sugar together well. Add soda and honey.

2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add the eggs/sugar mixture. (Don't let butter burn.)

3. Turn the saucepan to low, add the flour while mixing. Mix until smooth. (It will be very thick and hard to stir.) Remove from heat and allow to cool. It will look like there's no way on earth you will be able to "dip" the dough in anything, but it's actually much more

formed than it looks.

4. Preheat oven to 355 F.

5. Dip the dough in flour, divide, roll each layer

very thin (conversions from metric say .02-.04 of an inch). see picture at left

6. Cut circles as round as possible, about 7 inches in diameter. (I used my 6-inch spring-form pan frame to do this.) Bake on parchment or wax paper-covered cookie sheets for 2-4 minutes. (Watch the first couple carefully to see how your oven does it.) see picture at left

7. Cool completely before assembling.

8. Beat sour cream, sugar, and honey until the sugar dissolves. The mixture will be fairly liquid.

9. Coat each layer with a generous layer of cream. Assemble the cake, coat the finished assembly with cream and sprinkle top and sides with crumbs and walnuts. Allow to set at least 6 hours before eating.

Ta-da! It looks extremely Russian on my blue-and-white plates too! (And you all thought that was strictly a Dutch thing.) Everyone loved it! It has a great balance between tangy and sweet. The Russians love sour cream, and this cake is a testimony to how talented they are with it.

*About the crumbs, I am fairly certain that

whoever translated this either was British or learned British English as opposed to American, which means I wasn't entirely sure what they meant by "sweet biscuit crumbs." I thought they might mean cookies, like Nilla waffers, which would probably work, but frankly, I was too cheap to buy Nilla waffers for the sake of a cake that I knew would taste excellent with just a TON of nuts on top, and it was already too hot in my house to bother baking "sweet biscuits." So I scrapped it.

Chilean Pevre

2009-04-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

This makes A TON! My mum, who still has five kids at home, cuts it in half when she makes it for our family, so you can adjust it accordingly. This is really a party-sized amount, but it's the recipe Vero gave us.

NOTE: Pevre is kind of like a salsa, which means you can chop the ingredients as big or as small as you want. Vero keeps them fairly small, but they're still definitely chunks.

Ingredients:
2 white onions, chopped
10 tomatoes, peeled and chopped (again, adjust according to your family)
fresh cilantro - rinse in cold water; twist off stems; twist to tear in half; chop
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. salt - I know it's a lot. You'll really use it to taste
Mexican style tomato sauce, to taste (typically between 1/4 and 1/2 cup

Directions:
1. Combine onions with salt (to taste). Mix and let set for 10 minutes.
2. Peel tomatoes, chop cilantro, mix together.
3. Squeeze out excess moisture in onions. Mix with tomatoes and cilantro.
4. Add rest of ingredients and mix together.

It's really good on chips, french bread, or you could even toast the bread a little to make a sort of bruschetta. Tasty!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

2009-01-24T10:05:00.000-08:00

These are so good, and yet so easy! You'll love them!

Ingredients:
1 c. peanut butter
6 T. butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
3 eggs
1 c. flour
chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Cream peanut butter, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla.
2. Beat in eggs.
3. Add flour and 1 3/4 c. chocolate chips. Spread in greased 9-by-14 in. pan.
4. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. Take out, but before allowing to cool, sprinkle top with remaining chips - about 1/4 c.

Lentil Soup

2009-01-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

I never measure this too carefully, but I'll make it as accurate as possible. (The truth is, soups are usually all to taste anyway, so it measurements don't matter all that much.)

Ingredients:
1 medium carrot - diced
about a 1/4 c. of onion - diced
a little tomato sauce/paste/freshly chopped
1-2 c. chicken broth
1 lb. lentils
lime juice
cumin

Directions:
1. In medium sauce pan, saute carrot, onion, and tomato (if fresh) in a little butter until tender. Add chicken broth (and tomato sauce/paste if using).
2. Add lentils and bring to soft boil. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally. IF AT ANY TIME THE WATER BOILS DOWN BELOW THE TOP OF THE LENTILS, ADD MORE. (This may happen multiple times.)
3. After simmering for a matter of minutes, add a good squirt of lime juice. Allow to continue simmering. Sprinkle cumin over top of lentils and stir. Let simmer continue.
4. The lentils will simmer for about 25 minutes. There should be plenty of liquid still in the pot when you serve.

We like to eat it plain or with sour cream on top. We also eat it with bread or corn bread.

Eggnog

2008-12-18T15:13:00.000-08:00

This eggnog is really easy.

5 eggs - separated
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. milk
vanilla and nutmeg to taste

1. Beat whites until foamy. Beat yolks until cream. Fold whites into yolks.
2. Add 1/2 c. sugar to eggs. Blend well.
3. Add heavy cream and milk. Blend well. Add remaining sugar. Blend well.
4. Add vanilla and nutmeg to taste. Keep cold.

No-Chill (!!!) Sugar Cookies & Cookie Canes

2008-12-13T16:26:00.000-08:00

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 t. vanilla
2 t. baking powder
3 c. flour

1. Preheat oven to between 370-375.
2. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.
3. Add baking powder and flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix well.
4. Dough will be stiff. Divide in 1/2 and roll each about 1/8th of an inch thick.

*For Cookie Canes, die 1/2 the dough pink and add 1/2 t. peppermint extract to the other 1/2. Roll into 1-inch balls and then into snakes. Twist together and shape into a cane.

**Bake 8-12 minutes for either recipe.

Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge

2008-12-07T18:10:00.000-08:00

This makes a lot, so it's great for adding to goodie plates for Christmas!

Butter a 9x13 pan. Set aside.

4 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk

1 7 oz. jar marshmallow fluff
1 16 oz. jar creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine first 4 ingredients in 3 qt. pan and bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly. At full boil, stop stirring and continue to boil for 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in marshmallow until well combined. Add peanut butter and vanilla, stirring well. Pour into prepared 9x13 pan. Cut when completely cool.

White Bread

2008-11-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

This recipe uses a different method for activating the yeast, and makes it soooo much easier. The bread is ultra soft with a nice thin crispy crust.

4 c. flour
2 T. yeast
1/3 c. sugar
1 T. salt
3 c. hot tap water (as hot as the tap will let it get; it should be too hot for you to keep your finger under)
1/4 c. oil

1. Mix flour, yeast, sugar, and salt together with fork.
2. Add the hot water and oil to the dry ingredients. Mix with a fork until thoroughly blended.
3. Add more flour (about a 1/2 to 1 cup at a time) and stir just until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. It will still be quite sticky, so flour up your hands.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough, adding flour (this time by handfuls) until the dough is reasonably easy to handle. Knead for about 10 minutes. (Avoid adding more flour than is needed to keep the dough from being tough.)
5. Spray your mixing bowl down with a light coating of oil. Tuck the dough into a ball and set in the bowl. Cover with a cloth and allow dough to double in size.
6. Cut in half and form each half into loaves. Set in greased pans and let rise until loaves reach the tops of the pans.

7. Bake in 375-400 degree oven for 1/2-hour.
8. While cooling, grease tops of bread with butter.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-11-26T21:43:00.000-08:00

We ate over at a friend's house the other night and his new girlfriend made these cookies. They are so easy, and really good. We brought some vanilla ice cream which they go great with. The best part is, no matter how long you wait to eat them, they stay really moist.

1 box spice cake mix
1 can pumpkin
1/2 bag chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Blend cake mix and pumpkin together thoroughly. Add chocolate chips as desired. Bake 10-15 minutes. (Watch them closely for the last few minutes. They'll finish up nice and quick.)

That's it! Enjoy!

The Best Cherry Pie Ever

2008-11-25T13:27:00.000-08:00

Can she bake a cherry pie? Yup! I'll warn you right now that if you use this recipe you'll never buy another can of cherry pie filling in your life!

1 1/2 cups sugar (use only 1 cup if you wish)
3 T cornstarch
2 [14.5 oz.] cans red tart pie cherries (fruit packed in water--NOT pie filling)
1/4 tsp. red food coloring (opt.)
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 T butter
2 crusts for a 9" pie

Preheat oven to 400. Drain the cherries and reserve the juice from one can. In a saucepan, stir the cherry juice into the combined mixture of the cornstarch and half of the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat. Gently stir in remaining sugar, cherries, extract, and food coloring. Pour filling into pastry lined pie pan. Dot with butter. Adjust top crust, seal and vent. Bake 45 minutes or until crust browns and filling begins to bubble through the vents in top crust. (This is important--if it isn't bubbling through the vents a little it won't be thickened up enough.) If necessary, you can cover the edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent over-browning of the crust. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack before slicing.

Pecan Pie

2008-11-25T13:20:00.000-08:00

Does anybody really like any other kind of pie, or do they just say other kinds to be different? Be truthful world! Pecan is King! Here's another label recipe this time from the Karo syrup bottle. I always look for the recipe that uses the most pecans. :)

3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup--light or dark
2 T butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups pecans
1 (9-inch) unbaked deep-dish pie crust

Preheat oven to 350. Mix sugar and eggs together. Add corn syrup, butter and vanilla, stirring until blended. Stir in pecans and pour into pie crust.
Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted 1" from edge comes out clean. (This is the classic test for doneness in this type of pie, but when you see that it's puffed up all the way across, it's done.) Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

The Jakey--A Sandwich Experience

2008-11-25T13:10:00.000-08:00

This is an original creation by our son Jake.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, hard boiled, peeled, and chopped
mayonnaise (as desired)
salt and pepper to taste
pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped
sliced cheese

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except cheese together. With two slices of bread make a sandwich along with a slice or two of cheese (Provolone or Swiss is good). Butter the outsides of the bread and toast in a pan over medium heat until golden brown and cheese is melted. It's yummy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2008-11-25T12:56:00.000-08:00

My oldest daughter's favorite. We can't get fresh rhubarb where we live, but by this time of year it would be frozen anyway even if we could. Don't overdo it on the sugar--a little tartness is good!

3 cups rhubarb, cut up
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 egg
1 T butter
pastry for a 9" double crust pie

Mix sugar, flour, and egg together. Stir in rhubarb and strawberries until well coated. Turn out into pastry-lined pan and dot with a butter, then cover with other pastry. Make slits for steam to escape. Bake in a preheated oven at 450 for 15 minutes, then turn oven down to 350 and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Pineapple Pie

2008-11-25T12:47:00.001-08:00

My mother-in-law always made this pie and it's the easiest of the easy.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 c. sugar
2 T cornstarch
a dash of salt
1 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, undrained
Pastry for a 9" two-crust pie

Directions:
Mix all of the ingredients together except pastry. Pour everything into an unbaked pie shell cover with the top crust. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. That's it!

ONE-PIE NEW ENGLAND PUMPKIN PIE

2008-11-23T19:24:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite pumpkin pie recipe and it comes from the back of the One-Pie Pumpkin can. I've often thought I should put together a cookbook called "The Back of The Box Recipes"--they're some of the best!

Ingredients:

1 cup Sugar

1 tbsp. Cornstarch

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Ginger

1/2 tsp. Nutmeg

1/2 tsp. Salt (Scant)

1 can ONE-PIE Pumpkin (or any 16 oz. canned solid-pack pumpkin)

2 Eggs (beaten)

1/2 tbsp. Butter (Melted)

1/8 cup Moasses

1 1/2 cups Milk or 1-12 oz. can Evaporated Milk

Directions:
Sift Sugar, Cornstarch, Salt, Cinnamon, Ginger, & Nutmeg together. Mix this with contents of one can ONE-PIE Pumpkin. Add Eggs, beaten, Melted Butter, Molasses, & Milk. Add a dash of Lemon Juice (if desired--I do not). Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry dough, pour in contents. Preheat oven & bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Then reduce temp. to 350 & continue to bake for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack.

Pie Crust with Butter

2008-11-22T14:16:00.000-08:00

This pie crust comes out light and flaky. The key is to make sure the butter is very cold and the dough doesn't get over-kneaded.

2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
1 c. diced butter (COLD)
1/2 c. icy water

1. Mix the flour, salt, and sugar together. Add the butter and mix until rough crumbles form. Add water and mix until dough doesn't quite hold together.
2. Turn contents out onto lightly floured surface. Knead until dough just holds a ball form. Wrap well, and put in fridge for 30 min.-1 hr.
3. Take dough out just before use. Roll out on large sheet of waxed paper to avoid excess flour in the dough, which will cause it to be tough.

Yield: 2 pie crusts

Whoopie Pies

2008-10-30T05:19:00.000-07:00

A real New England treat--the easy way. Make sure to cool the cookies completely before filling and wrapping.

Preheat oven to 350.

Cookies:

1 cake mix (any chocolate or devil's food)

1 3 oz. package of instant chocolate pudding

Prepare cake mix according to directions on box, but using 3/4 cup of water instead of listed amount. Beat 1 minute. Add instant pudding and beat 1 more minute.

Using a small cookie scoop, place cookies on parchment-lined pan about 2" apart. Bake at 350 for 14 minutes or until they spring back when lightly touched. Let set on pan 1 minute, then remove to rack to cool.

Filling:

5 Tbs. flour

1 cup milk

1 cup white sugar

1 cup shortening

2 tsp. vanilla (try substituting 1/2 a cup or so of peanut butter--YUM!)

In a medium bowl, beat filling ingredients except shortening. Add shortening and beat until fluffy--about 5 minutes.

Spoon a dollop (I love that word) of filling onto a cooled cookie and top with another cookie a la the picture. (Just a web picture, but they look just the same.)

Whoopie pies should be wrapped in plastic wrap and refridgerated--if they make it that far!

Hoot Owl Cookies

2008-10-26T16:25:00.000-07:00

1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup cashew halves

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add baking powder and salt. Beat well. Add flour and mix until blended. Remove 2/3 of dough. Roll or pat dough out to form two 10 x 4 inch rectangles. Add cocoa to remaining 1/3 of dough. Mix until blended. (I use my hands to get it mixed enough. It's hard to do it with a spoon, of course I don't have a mixer.) Shape chocolate dough into two 10 inch long rolls. Place on rectangle and roll plain dough to cover chocolate dough completely, not including ends. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours.

Cut dough into 1/8 inch slices with a sharp knife. Place two slices side by side on a cookie sheet to resemble an owl's face. Pinch upper "corners" to resemble ears. Put chocolate chips in each dark circle for eyes and a cashew in the center for the beak.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes in a 350-degree preheated oven, or until lightly browned.

Fettucine Alfredo (aka "Heart Attack on a Plate")

2008-10-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe years ago in an old Italian cookbook. It's delicious, quick, simple, and as long as you don't make it too often it shouldn't shorten your life span by any noticeable amount. :) We love it with spinach fettucine, too.

12 oz. fettucini pasta (Tip: try using spinach fettucini. It is really good.)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
3/4 cup parmesan, grated or shredded

1/2 cup cream

1 egg, well beaten
fresh ground pepper
olive oil

Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain and toss with a little olive oil to keep from sticking together. In a small heavy saucepan over low heat melt butter. When melted, add the parmesan, stirring until melted and smooth. Slowly add cream while stirring with a whisk. Whisk in the egg and turn off heat. Mixture should be smooth and creamy. Pour over pasta--toss to cover evenly. Add fresh ground pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Heavenly....

Sauteed Vegetables

2008-10-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

Mike loves it when I've got fresh vegetables and nothing to do with them 'cause then I'm forced to saute them. (Sometimes I just do it anyway, just 'cause they're so good!)

The amounts of course vary a lot, depending on how much you're cooking, so there's not too much of a point to putting amounts at all. I never measure them out anyway when it comes to sauteing. Here are the ingredients though:

Olive oil (some people like to mix this with butter, but I only do that for asparagus)
Minced garlic, or garlic powder
Vegetable (our favorites are summer squash, zucchini, asparagus, and tomatoes) - cut in discs, (just snap the asparagus)
Salt & Pepper

Heat the oil and start to saute the garlic. (If you're using garlic powder, wait until the vegetables are added, then dust it over them.) Add the desired vegetable and saute until they've browned just slightly on either side. Watch them carefully so they don't burn. Pull them out and place on a paper towel to absorb some of the excess oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

I often serve this as a little appetizer when our friends come over for dinner. They take almost no time, and let me finish getting dinner on the table. It honestly amazes me how much everyone loves them every time.

Really Easy Truffles

2008-09-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post this since February, but just haven't gotten around to it. Mike and I had a little V-day dinner date and made these for our dessert. They're so easy! Also, it makes a lot, so you'll want to try it out like this before you try to double it.

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
3 c. confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 c. semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla until no streaks remain Refrigerate for about one (1) hour. Shape into 1-inch balls.

We rolled ours in chopped nuts, confectioners' sugar, and cocoa. You could also of course, flavor them with any kind of extract (mint, almond, etc.) and dip them in hardening chocolate.

Salmon Loaf

2008-03-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

This was one of my favorites growing up, and I think it's quickly becoming one of Mike's as well. This isn't Mum's recipe, but it turned out pretty good. They taste pretty much the same, as far as I can tell.

1 (14 oz) can salmon, undrained

1/2 c. saltine cracker crumbs or bread crumbs

1/2 c. milk

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper to taste

2t. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients. Mix well.

Press mixture into a lightly greased 9 by 5 loaf pan.

Bake for 45 min. or until done.

AVOCADO SHAKE

2007-08-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

We love to go to Truong's, a wonderful restaurant on Saipan that specializes in Vietnamese food. We especially love the fried lumpia (served with romaine lettuce, bean sprouts, noodles, and mint leaves--oh man! I'm getting hungry!), and their wonderful avocado smoothies (which they now start to make as soon as they see Casey come in the door!)

Although nothing will come between us and going to Truong's (except maybe waiting for a paycheck...), we currently have 8 HUGE avocadoes sitting on our kitchen counter, so I've been doing a little web research and here's the recipe I'm going to try:

AVOCADO SHAKE

1 medium to large ripe avocado
2 - 3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
8 ice cubes
1/2 cup milk

Swirl it all up in the blender until the ice is crushed and everything is nice and smooth. Tweak it to your taste! :)

I've read that it's better if it sits in the fridge for a few minutes.
I've also read that in Indonesia they put a little chocolate syrup (ala Hershey's) around the wall of the glass before pouring the shake in so that it drips down the inside--that sounds like maybe I'll have to try TWO!

Leave a review if you give it a try.

Grammie Haskins' PeanutButter Cookies

2007-06-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

I never even cared for peanutbutter cookies until I had these melt in my mouth.

Grammie Haskin's Peanutbutter Cookies

1 cup shortening (1/2 butter tastes good)
1 cup peanutbutter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients well. Shape into balls, press criss-cross with a fork. Bake at 350 until not quite done (8-10 minutes). After removing from oven, leave on baking sheet for a couple of minutes before putting on cooling rack.

GRAMMIE BOONE'S BLETHEN HOUSE MOLASSES COOKIES

2007-06-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

My Grammie Boone always said that she was an "old-fashioned cook." She was the baker of choice for people all over my hometown. She baked for Collette's Restaurant and for the (lone) hotel, The Blethen House. She loved to bake and her family and friends loved to have her do it! These are the all-time cookie winners in my house--they taste like home. We nearly always double this recipe...

Grammie Boone's Blethen House Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup shortening
1 egg
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cassia (cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
Mix all ingredients well. Roll into balls and dip the tops in granulated sugar. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until tops are cracked.

Cloud Biscuits

2007-06-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

The recipe we use in our household is from an old National Grange Cookbook. This is often Sunday night fare for us--especially if there is any honey, molasses, or, better yet, company on hand! We love them.

Cloud Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup milk

Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg and milk. Knead. Roll until 3/4-inch thick, cut with biscuit cutter. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Brush tops with a little milk. Bake in 450-degree oven for 10 to 14 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

Mango Smoothie

2007-06-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

2 or 3 ripe mangoes, peeled and sliced off the pit (Was that necessary? Oh well.)
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk
6 - 8 ice cubes, chopped up

Just put everything in a blender and blend on high until smooth. Coconut milk may be used in place of regular milk for more of a mango pudding result.

Ice Cream Cake

2007-06-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

I found this cake in FamilyFun Magazine. I made it for my roommate's 21st surprise birthday party yesterday. It was a big hit! The recipe is really easy, but you have to move fast. I've modified the instructions slightly, but nothing crucial. Details, details...

12 Oreo cookies
About 1 t. of Milk
8 or 9 Ice Cream Sandwiches
1 pint each of three different Ice Creams/Frozen Yogurts
8 oz. of Frozen Whipped Topping, thawed.

-Grease the sides and bottom of a spring-form pan. Wrap waxed paper around sides, using grease to stick. Trim down sides to top of pan.
-Finely crush cookies in a blender. Add milk and blend just until cookies hold slightly. Set aside.
-Take out 4 ice cream sandwiches and cut lengthwise and widthwise, to make equal quarters.
-Line sides of pan with sandwiches, pressed tightly together. Repeat until pan is entirely lined.
-Spread bottom of pan with blended cookies. Press down firmly.
-Put in freezer for 1 hour.
-Take out pints of ice cream and let them thaw for 15 minutes. (Don't let them thaw too much, but you should be able to stir it.)
-Pour pints into three separate bowls. Stir until good spreading-consistency.
-Spread pints in layers in cake pan. Spread them evenly.
-Top with whipped topping. Sprinkle crushed cookies on top.
-Freeze over night. (About 12 hours.)
-To cut, spring the pan and remove the waxed paper.

The magazine suggested mint chocolate chip, vanilla frozen yogurt, and strawberry. I used Haagen daaz dulce de leche, vanilla frozen yogurt, and white chocolate raspberry truffle. Vanilla seems to be a good middle flavor, ya know, to separate the others. I also crushed Melissa's favorite candy bar, Heath, rather than cookies on top. Anyway, everyone loved it. Enjoy!

Baked Brie

2007-06-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite things from the Jordan Pond House! It's so easy to make, too.

Ingredients:
Phyllo dough (If you buy it frozen, make sure it's thawed enough so that it wont break too much.
Phyllo is very delicate, so be careful with it.)
Brie (If you buy it in a wheel, cut it into triangles.)
Butter, melted
Directions:

1. For every triangle, you'll need two sheets of phyllo dough. Lay them out, and place the brie near one corner of the sheets, but still have the entire piece on the dough.
2. Carefully take the corner and wrap it over the top of the dough. Wrap the rest of the dough around the brie until the entire triangle is wrapped. Brush butter over parts what will overlap, so that the top piece will stick to the bottom one.
3. Brush the top and sides with butter. Not too much or it will make the cheese greasy. Place in a small pan, put in 450 degree oven until golden brown and flakey. The inside should be gooey.

JPH serves it with crackers and grapes.

Rhubarb Sauce

2007-06-11T20:53:00.001-07:00

None of this is exactly measured. Sorry!

Ingredients:
Chopped rhubarb
Water
Sugar

Directions:
Add just enough water to the rhubarb to just barely cover the bottom of the pan. If you think you need more later, you can add it. Put saucepan on medium-high burner. Bring to a boil, while slowly adding sugar. (I add mine in 1/4-cup increments.) Stir often. The rhubarb will break down into mush. The finished product should be a little thicker than soup, but not as thick as stew. It'll be sweet, but you should still be able to taste the sour rhubarb through the sugar.

Rhubarb Crunch

2007-06-11T20:48:00.001-07:00

Jym sent me a package with a big bag of rhubarb in it. I immediately called up Grammy Alexa to get the recipe. She's never tried this particular one, and it's still cooling on my stovetop, but it looks like it came out great! It's not a crumble-top recipe, so it's probably more like lemon squares.

Ingredients and Directions:
1 c. flour
1/2 c. butter, softened
Large T. confectioner's sugar

Combine to make crust. Press into 8" by 8" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

2 eggs, well-beaten
1 1/2 c. sugar
2/3 t. baking powder
1/2 c. flour
Dash of salt
2 c. chopped rhubarb
Strawberries, if desired. (This is almost always going to be desired, so it's more like, "if available.")

Mix to make filling. Pour into crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes.

Snickerdoodles

2007-06-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. stick margarine
1/2 c. shortening
2 large eggs
2 3/4 c. flour
2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
orange zest

Mix sugar, margarine, shortening, and eggs until smooth. Add flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix well until dough is stiff. Add orange zest. Roll dough into balls and dip in cinnamon sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Take out a little early and let them finish baking on the pan if you like them nice a soft.