Wednesday, December 29, 2010

πŸŽ„ Cookies I made for Christmas (2010)

These are the cookies I made for Christmas this year.



Snickerdoodles

Gingersnaps

Cherry-Nut Slices

Chinese Almond Cookies

Black Forest Cherry Cookies

Kisses Candy Cane Blossoms

Confetti Peanut Butter Cookies

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❄️Jenny's After Christmas Celebration Dec. 26, 2010❄️

This is the cake our daughter Jenny made for our day after Christmas celebration.  Isn't this a cute cake!





This is our daughter Jenny who makes the cakes.  Oh how I wish I had more photos of the beautiful cakes she's made throughout the years.

⛄️ Jenny's After Christmas Celebration 12/26/2010 ⛄️

 

Saturday, December 11, 2010

* ~ Domestic Goddess Chili ~ *

This is my all time favorite chili.



Domestic Goddess Chili 

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes

2 lbs. ground beef

1 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup chili powder

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 (15-oz.) cans tomato sauce

2 (8-oz.) jars taco sauce, mild or medium

2 (15-oz.) cans red kidney beans, drained & rinsed 
shredded cheddar cheese, to garnish chili
tortilla chips, to scoop up the chili


1.)  Cook ground beef in a Dutch oven over high heat; stirring to break up meat, until no longer pink (for 3 minutes).


2.)  Add the onions; cook and stirring until translucent (for 2 minutes).


3.)  Stir in the chili powder and garlic; cook one minute.


4.)  Stir in the tomato sauce and taco sauce.  Bring to a boil; then reduce the heat, and simmer (uncovered) for 10 minutes.


5.)  Stir in the kidney beans and heat through.


6.)  Top each bowl with shredded cheddar cheese, and scoop up the chili with the tortilla chips.


7.)  Yields: 8 to 10 Servings.


8.) Note: This recipe states to add 1/4 cup of chili powder, and yes, that's exactly how much I put in my chili.

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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Instant Gingerbread Coffee

I make this coffee whenever I have a craving for anything gingerbread.  I top the coffee with Reddi Wip Whipping Cream, then lightly sprinkle on a bit of McCormick Pumpkin Pie Spice. 




Instant Gingerbread Coffee 

1-1/2 teaspoons instant coffee (or decaf instant coffee)

1 cup boiling water

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, plus an 1/8 teaspoon as well

2-1/2 teaspoons unsulphured molasses
 (See *Note)

3 Tablespoons Half & Half cream

Reddi Wip Whipped Cream (to garnish coffee)

pumpkin pie spice (a light sprinkle to garnish coffee)


1.)  In a coffee cup mix together, the instant coffee, 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, plus an 1/8 teaspoon as well.

2.)  Add the boiling water and molasses, and stir.

3.)  Stir in the Half & Half.

4.)  Garnish coffee with the Reddi Wip.

5.)  Lightly sprinkle a bit of pumpkin pie spice over the whipped topping, and serve.

6.)  This makes: 1 serving. 

7.) *Note: For this coffee, be sure to use unsulphured molasses.  
It really adds flavor to the coffee.  Whatever you do, do not use a mild molasses, as it's just too bland, and doesn't add much flavor.


The kitchen crew at the recipe website Just-A-Pinch, shared this photo of Instant Gingerbread Coffee as well.  




















Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Green Bean Fries

My family loves these Green Bean Fries.  They taste even better when dipped in a bottled ranch dressing, such as... Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing.  Also, I like to use over-sized green beans when making these green bean fries. 



Green Bean Fries 

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Yields: 3 servings

About 9-ounces of fresh green beans (extra large in size)

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk (I used 2% milk)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup plain (or) Italian Style bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

vegetable oil, or shortening, or lard (Use for deep frying.)

dipping sauce: Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing


1.)  Fill a large bowl half-way, with water and lots of ice, then set bowl aside.

2.)  In a shallow bowl beat together, the egg and milk.

3.)  Place flour in another shallow bowl, or one 8 (or) 9-inch pan.

4.)  Combine bread crumbs and seasonings into a 3rd shallow bowl, or one 8 (or) 9-inch pan.

5.)  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Boil the green beans in water for about 5 minutes, then place par-boiled beans in ice water for a few seconds, to stop the cooking process.  Remove beans from the ice water; shake off excess water, then place beans on a plate, and set beans aside.

6.)  Coat beans (one at a time) with flour, then dip beans in the egg/milk mixture, and then coat the beans with the bread crumb mixture.  Place beans on a plate until all are coated.

7.)  Add vegetable oil, or shortening, or lard, to a heavy skillet or a deep fryer.   (Use enough to cover the beans, about 1-1/2 inches.)   Heat the oil, shortening, or lard to 350ΒΊF.  Fry beans until they're golden brown, about 1 minute and 45 seconds.

8.)  Place paper toweling onto a plate or serving dish.  Then place fried beans on paper toweling.  Let fried beans cool slightly if they're too hot to handle.  Serve fried beans with the ranch dressing.

9.) Note: If the green beans you picked weren't extra large in size, but rather medium in size, then par-boil them for about 3 minutes, and deep fry them for about 1 minute and 30 seconds.  Also, there's no need to add salt to the breading mixture, or to the beans after frying them, as I've found the bottle dressing seems to have enough salt in the ranch dressing.  At least it did to me!  One more thing I wanted to mention... I found 2 large handfuls of green beans, is pretty much equivalent to 9-ounces.




















Monday, August 9, 2010

Refreshing Watermelon Lemonade πŸ‰πŸ‹

I love watermelon and lemonade, so this is one of my favorite lemonades!  Sometimes when I make this beverage, I'll add 4 cups of the chopped watermelon, and sometimes I may add 5 cups.  Guess the sweetness of the melon determines how much I'd like to add, or if I'd like this to be a bit more tart and tangy, then I'll just add the 4 cups of the chopped melon.




 Refreshing Watermelon Lemonade  

4 or 5 cups of chopped watermelon

1-1/8 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (See *Note) 
3 cups of water 


1.)  Place watermelon in a blender, and process until smooth.

2.)  If desired, strain the watermelon.  (I stated it twice, before adding it to the pitcher.) 

3.)  Add the watermelon juice, sugar, and lemon juice to a 2-quart pitcher.  Briskly stir until the sugar is dissolved.

4.)  Now add the water, and stir.

5.)  Chill watermelon lemonade in the refrigerator.

6.)  Serve chilled lemonade with ice, but stir well before serving.

7.)  Yields: 56-oz. of "the best" watermelon lemonade ever!

8.) *Note: I found you will need 8 medium to large size lemons, to get 1 and a 1/2 cups of fresh lemon juice.




Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Citrus Bars

I happen to come across this recipe at a food.com. The recipe was posted by justmeterri, but I did modify the recipe just a bit. These citrus bars are very good. They had a nice lemony flavor to them.




Citrus Bars

Crust:

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter

Topping:
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 Tablespoons orange juice
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
confectioners' sugar (for sprinkling on top the bars)

To make the crust:
In a bowl combine together, the flour and confectioners' sugar.  Cut in butter; mix until mixture becomes crumbly and clings together. Press crust mixture into a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.  Place baking pan in a preheated 350°F degree oven.  Bake the crust for about 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.

To make the topping:
In another bowl beat together, the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, and lemon zest.  Stir in the 1/4 cup flour and baking powder, mixing well.  Pour topping mixture over the baked crust.  Place pan in the oven, and bake for an additional 25 minutes.

When cool; sprinkle the bars with the confectioners' sugar, then cut them into bars.  (I cut the bars while they were slightly warm, then sprinkled the bars with the confectioners' sugar.)

Yields: 24 bars 

Here are 2 more additional photos of the Citrus Bars.




                              







Monday, July 26, 2010

Strawberry Popsicles πŸ“

These are "the best" tasting home-made popsicles.  These popsicles don't freeze hard like the store brand popsicles, but they freeze up enough to be eaten without melting too fast, and boy are they delicious.  It's just like biting into a fresh strawberry.  I make these popsicles every year when it's berry pickin' time.



Strawberry Popsicles πŸ“

3 cups fresh, sliced, strawberries
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups water

1.)  Place sliced strawberries in a blender.

2.)  Add the sugar and water.

3.)  Place lid on blender, and process until all ingredients are smooth.

4.)  Pour strawberry mixture into (3-ounce) popsicle molds.  (You may need to use a spoon to remove some of the foam that accumulates to the top of the popsicles.  And after removing the foam, fill remaining popsicle molds with a bit more of the strawberry juice.)

5.)  Place popsicles in the freezer, until they've firmed up completely. (I place mine overnight in the freezer.)

6.)  Yields: 14 popsicles.



Sunday, July 25, 2010

Chilled Strawberry Yogurt Soup πŸ“

This delicious soup was posted by PaulaG at food.com, but I did modify the recipe just a bit. I love this soup! It's also a very pretty soup. I think it would be great even served as a dessert.



πŸ“ Chilled Strawberry Yogurt Soup 

3 cups fresh, sliced, strawberries

1/2 cup pineapple juice, chilled (See *Note)

4 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup of ice (I used 8 mini sized ice cubes)

Several dollops, of Reddi Whip Whipped Topping

2 large, fresh, strawberries (not hulled) and sliced in half


1.)  Place sliced strawberries into a blender.  Add the pineapple juice, sugar, yogurt and ice cubes. Place lid on blender, and process until all ingredients are smooth.

2.)  Pour strawberry soup into 4 soup bowls.  Top each bowl with a dollop of the whipped topping. Garnish each bowl with a halved strawberry.  Serve soup immediately.

3.)  Yields: 4 servings (1-1/4 cups per each person)

4.) *Note: I have prepared this soup numerous times, and when I don't have a can of pineapple juice on hand, I opt to adding the juice from a can of crushed pineapple.  And at another time when making the soup, I ended up adding some of the crushed pineapple as well, which worked great in the recipe.

Chilled Strawberry Yogurt Soup | Just A Pinch Recipes

Friday, June 4, 2010

Pasta & Imitation Crab Salad



Pasta & Imitation Crab Salad 

(8-oz.) pasta (I used Creamette Radiatore Nuggets)

About 1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup chopped broccoli

1/2 cup thinly sliced baby carrots

2 Tablespoons diced red onion

(6-oz.) Colby-Jack cheese, cut into small chunks

(5-oz.) imitation crab meat, cut into chunks (about 1 cup)

1 cup Hellmann's Mayonnaise

1 cup light Italian salad dressing

 2 Tablespoons Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese

28 grape tomatoes

freshly cracked black pepper, add according to taste

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1.)  In a large pot of boiling water, add the vegetable oil and salt.  Add the pasta, and cook pasta for 8 minutes and 30 seconds.


2.)  During the last 30 seconds of cooking time, add the broccoli.  After the 30 seconds, immediately drain and rinse the pasta and broccoli under cold water in a colander.


3.)  While the pasta and broccoli is draining in the colander, add the carrots, onion, cheese, and imitation crab meat to a large bowl.


4.)  In another bowl mix together, the mayonnaise and Italian dressing.  Use 1-cup of the dressing to mix into the salad, and reserve the other cup for later.


5.)  Incorporate the 1-cup of dressing into the large bowl of vegetables, cheese, and meat. Add the pasta and broccoli to the bowl; stir gently to mix the salad.


6.)  Season the salad with a bit of the freshly cracked black pepper.  Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the salad, and gently fold in the grape tomatoes.  Cover the salad, and place it in the refrigerator to chill.


7.)  After 2-3 hours of refrigeration, and before serving the salad; stir in a 3/4 cup to 1-cup of the mayonnaise/Italian dressing.  The extra dressing will keep the salad creamy and moist, even up to a day or two later.


8.)  Servings: 8 to 10


Up close photo of Pasts & Imitation Crab Salad.





















Potato Chip Sandwich

This is one of my favorite sandwiches to make and eat! 













Potato Chip Sandwich 

2 slices of bread, or 1 hamburger bun, or hoagie roll 

mayonnaise or salad dressing (add desired amount)

leafy green lettuce, optional

4 slices of deli-style lunch meat, any kind (See *Note) 

2 thinly sliced tomatoes (I used one slice, as I used a small hamburger bun.) 

5 to 6 slices of pickles

1 or 2 thin slices of cheese (I used Colby-Jack), plus rippled potato chips (as many as you can stack on.)  

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1.)  Spread mayonnaise or salad dressing on both sides of bread, hoagie roll, or hamburger bun(s). 

2.)  Add a bit of leafy green lettuce, to one slice of the bread, the hoagie roll, or the hamburger bun. 

3.)  Top with slices of cheese, deli meat, tomatoes, pickles, rippled potato chips, and top it off with the other slice of bread, or the bun. (If using a hamburger bun, you'll only need to add one tomato slice to the bun.

4.)  This makes: 1 sandwich (1 serving)

5) *Note: When making this sandwich, you can use either smoked turkey breast meat, or perhaps a honey-smoked turkey breast, or even the deli-style (shaved) meat.  I'll add 6 slices to my hoagie roll, since the meat is sliced very thin.  One other thing, you can add thin slices of red onion to your sandwich, if desired.

Cream of Potato & Cheddar Cheese Soup

One day my daughter had given me some of her Yukon Gold Potatoes from her garden.   I then decided I'd quickly  throw a potato soup toge...