Chocolate Crinkles

It is finally snowing! I love the snow! It makes me want to cook and bake and make soups and breads. However, today I am baking cookies. I have looked for a long time for my original Chocolate Crinkles recipe that used cocoa. It was in my Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, Circa 1971. In the later cookbooks, even the very next one, the recipe below is given, using melted chocolate.

I have successfully used this recipe by substituting 1 Tablespoon butter or margarine and 3 Tablespoons cocoa for each Tablespoon of unsweetened baking chocolate.

However, today I found what I think is the old recipe and I will use it today. The original recipe called for shortening and cocoa so I am very hopeful-and very excited-that this is it!

Chocolate Crinkles

Now, when I make this recipe, I always have several people say, “I haven’t had these in years!” So, although I don’t remember how or when I started making them, evidently this is an old time recipe.

Thoroughly cream:

½ cup shortening
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat in:

2 eggs
2-1 oz. Squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

Sift together:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Add dry ingredients alternately to shortening mixture with

1/3 cup milk

Add:
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Chill 3 hours. Form in 1 inch balls; roll in confectioner’s sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet 2 to 3 inches apart. Bake in moderate oven (350˚ F.) for 15 minutes. Cool slightly; remove from pan. Makes 48

What I Do: The original recipe I had used cocoa instead of the melted chocolate but I haven’t been able to locate it in quite some time so I use 3 Tablespoons of margarine to 1 Tablespoon of cocoa for each one ounce square of chocolate because I always have cocoa on hand but seldom have baking chocolate on hand.


The new/old recipe that I used to use that I just found today. :) It was GREAT and even easier than I remembered! Still chewy and chocolaty!

Chocolate Crinkles

1/2 cup shortening
1 + 2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
6 Tablespoons cocoa
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup nuts (optional, I never use them)
powdered sugar

Cream shortening and sugar. Add vanilla and well beaten eggs. Sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, blending well after each addition. Stir in nuts and chill dough at least 3 hours.

Shape chilled dough into small balls. Roll each in powdered sugar. Place on cookie sheet about 2-inches apart. Bake in a 350 degree oven 10-12 minutes.

Cornbread Stuffing

Thanksgiving is one of my family's favorite holidays because it is-ALL ABOUT THE FOOD! But as I have written before, what we really enjoy is spending the time together preparing, eating, and even cleaning up together. Really just an excuse to have a party.

Last Thanksgiving we were all together for the first time in many years and with most of the kids as adults. My son and his wife generously hosted us in their large kitchen so that there were, throughout the day, most or many of us in the kitchen at the same time preparing the food together and discussing the the changes that we have made in the traditional recipes, the events of the past year, our dreams for the future, and comfortable silence (ok, maybe not so much silence with our growing numbers that are up to 19 + friends and family members who joined us).

Like many of you, stuffing is a traditional part of our Thanksgiving dinner. While it is called stuffing, because we eat so much of it at dinner and for yummy leftovers, I rarely stuff the bird any more. I usually make a restaurant size pan (roughly equivalent to 4- 9x13 pans) of stuffing to insure that we have enough leftovers. However, this year we have a little smaller group so I am still trying to decide just how much to make-to insure we have enough leftovers. We have a fairly longstanding joke in our family about why people don't like stuffing. My kids say that it is because they use bread instead of cornbread.

I grew up with my mom and my grandma making cornbread stuffing so to me that is just what you do. Unfortunately, my kids grew up the same way so on the occasions that we have had Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners with others who prepared bread stuffing, the kids would solicit cornbread stuffing to be made when we got home. Now, we just volunteer to make the stuffing! However, there are those who prefer bread stuffing-probably because that is what they grew up eating.

If you have never liked stuffing but have never eaten cornbread stuffing, I suggest you give it a try. You might be surprised at the difference just a change of bread can make.

Just so you know, my son and I have had a little discussion about the exact proportions, but if you notice the note at the end of the recipe, the most important thing to use cornbread and some of the rest of the ingredients. My son and I are both recording the EXACT amounts (I don't know if that is possible) of the ingredients that we use this year to see if we, in fact, do agree on the proportions.

Cornbread Stuffing

Grandma Palilla

2 ½ cups chopped celery

1 ¼ cups chopped onion

7 ½ cups coarsely crumbled corn bread

4 teaspoons sage

3 + cups chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

Mix celery, onion, and cornbread together in a bowl. Add the sage and enough broth to make very moist, almost soupy. Pour into 9 x 13 baking pan and bake at 350º for 45 minutes or until set up and a knife comes out clean.

What I Do: Sometimes I use reconstituted chicken bouillon cubes in place of or for part of the broth. Use a 9x13 pan (usually a double batch of your favorite cornbread recipe) to make this quantity. You can see my cornbread recipe below.

These amounts can vary quite a bit; the important thing is to use cornbread and some of each of the other ingredients.

Cornbread

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup yellow corn meal

¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt (optional)

1 cup milk

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 egg whites or 1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 400º F. Grease 8”- 9” square pan. Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk, oil and egg, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm. 9 servings.

What I Do: I always use yellow corn meal, I add the salt, and I add ½-3/4 cup sugar for a single recipe. I also use shortening instead of oil. Mix the dry ingredients then use a pastry blender to blend in the shortening just until the size of small peas. Add a whole egg and milk stirring just enough to moisten. Do NOT use the mixer for cornbread, it beats it too much and makes it tough. I usually double this recipe and make it in a 9x13” pan. This recipe can be doubled, but does not turn out as well when tripled or quadrupled.

Fresh Tomato Soup

Photo by: Taste of Home

I had a few tomatoes that I needed to use. I already made BLT sandwiches on Sunday and we even had sliced tomatoes with oil, vinegar, and oregano as a side dish one night; but I needed to use the rest of the tomatoes. I had been thinking that fresh tomato soup sounded good, but since I had never made it, I was a little reluctant. I looked in my Taste of Home Big Book of Soups and they had a recipe that sounded yummy. I made it and it was yummy!

You need to not think of it as Campbell's Tomato Soup, but it is tasty, nevertheless. Today when I started the blog, I didn't have the cookbook with me so I went to the Taste of Home website and typed fresh tomato soup in the search and found the very same recipe from my cookbook.

My sons voted that this is a keeper, but one of them said, "... and cheese sandwiches?" I guess some things just go together like peanut butter and jelly or tomato soup and cheese sandwiches.

Fresh Tomato Soup
Taste of Home

1 cup chopped onion

¼ cup butter, cubed

3 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken broth, divided

1 cup heavy whipping cream

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion in butter until tender. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, basil, thyme and pepper; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine flour and 3/4 cup broth; form a smooth paste; gradually stir into tomato mixture with remaining broth.

Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until tomatoes are tender. Remove from the heat. Stir in cream; serve immediately. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Prep: 10 min. Cook: 45 min.

What I Do: I did not add the tomato paste. I added a little more flour and blended it well in the blender with some broth before adding it to the tomatoes. I am not a fan of chunks of tomatoes in my soup, so I cut the tomatoes into fourths (but I did not peel or seed them) and pulsed them in the blender for a few seconds before adding them to the soup. The soup had texture, but not chunks. I did not add the sugar and I wish I had added more basil. You remember that my son says, "Basil makes everything better!"

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 305 calories, 23 g fat (14 g saturated fat), 75 mg cholesterol, 1,131 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 5 g protein.

Hawaiian Haystacks

I had a very busy weekend organizing a dinner for 100 16-18 year old young men and women on Saturday. Once the stressful planning is over, it is always fun to serve the food. I always think, "I could do this for a living!"

I did not choose the menu, but I have served this meal to a similar number of youth before. However, do you think I kept my notes? This time I took copious notes on how much of everything it takes to serve this meal to 100 people, and I put them in a place that will be forever safe as well as accessible. Sometimes when I put things in a safe spot, I cannot retrieve them later, but not so with these notes. They are in my personal journal.

The people that were helping me cut the vegetables were amazing! We cut 12 bell peppers, 3 stalks of celery, and 25 tomatoes in ONE HOUR and there were only 2 of us for part of the time and 3 for the rest of the hour!

One of the people who helped me last time I made this meal for an equally large group had a nifty recipe for the chicken gravy. Even if you use homemade gravy or fresh chicken at home, this recipe is really the way to go for a large group. The proportions are 2-3 cans cream of chicken soup to 1 equal size can of chicken broth, then add canned chicken (or turkey). For 100 people I used 7 cans cream of chicken, 3 cans chicken broth and 8-12 ounce cans chicken.

The only glitch... I had no idea that all rice cookers did not work the same. The last time I did this, there were enough people on the committee that we all were in charge of bringing 12 cups of cooked rice. This time, we ended up with some rice that was mushy; it's a good thing that the rice was on the bottom so as soon as the gravy and toppings were on it, no one knew the difference! The whole problem with cooking 25-30 pounds of rice is that you really can't cook more than 12-15 cups of cooked rice at one time. Therefore, we had 6 rice cookers plus my BIG pot (x2) cooking rice. I'm still working on a solution to the "cooking large quantities of rice" issue. For this meal, 1 cup of cooked rice per person is too much but 1/2 cup is really not enough unless it is a small group and you know the people will not eat more. For the large group, I settled on 3/4 (+ or -) cup of rice per person.

We have honed it to include our family preferences: crisp Chinese noodles, rice, chicken gravy, celery, pineapple, coconut, and a cherry on top (although we don't often include the cherries any more since I am the only REAL Maraschino cherry fan in the family). I have discovered that a lot of people like the cheese and tomatoes; bell peppers and green onions make most anything taste better and the other things... well, I don't use them at home, but they are always eaten when served to a large group.

Also, for a larger group, I like to serve the pineapple tidbits-they are not as messy as as the crushed pineapple and actually go further... and the chunks, well, I find them to be a little too big for my pleasure. I have bought #10 cans of pineapple tidbits for years at my favorite club stores, but this weekend there were no #10 cans of pineapple to be found at the grocery store, Costco, BJ's, or Sysco. Fortunately, I found tidbits on sale so there we were Saturday afternoon opening LOTS of 20 ounce cans (15 to be exact) of pineapple!

Hawaiian Haystacks
Betty

I realize that this is a mainstay among many, but the first time I heard of it I thought it sounded gross! To my surprise it was yummy and my family enjoys it every time!

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups chicken, cubed
4 cups cooked rice
1 can/bag crisp Chow Mein noodles
3 medium tomatoes, chopped (or cherry or grape tomatoes)
1 cup celery
½ cup green pepper, chopped
½ cup chopped green onion (or other onion)
1 cup grated cheese
½ cup coconut
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained
½ cup slivered or sliced almonds
Maraschino cherries
Other possibilities that I have seen: sliced or chopped black olives, raisins, and sliced bananas

Combine soup and chicken broth in saucepan to make gravy. Stir to blend. Add chicken. Simmer 10 minutes until heated through. Serve on 8 individual plates layered according to choice.

Option: First layer rice, Chow Mein noodles, chicken and gravy. Add tomatoes, celery, green pepper and onion. Top with pineapple, cheese and more chicken and gravy, if desired.

Option: Place each item in a bowl to be served from. Each person builds their own haystack.

What I Do: We pared the toppings down to celery, crushed pineapple, and coconut on top of the noodles, rice and gravy with shredded chicken in it. When cherries were in season, I would sometimes buy fresh cherries to use on top. Often I make the gravy using a white sauce recipe and replacing the milk with either chicken broth or bouillon or use 2 cans of cream of chicken soup with 1 cup chicken broth or bouillon and 1 cup of chopped chicken or turkey. Serves 6-8.

Jeri's Chicken Pot Pie

Yesterday was such a terrible day that I came home and did what my family has come to affectionately call Kitchen Therapy. Kitchen Therapy works well as a stress reliever for me. It usually includes cooking and cleaning the kitchen. I find it therapeutic to create food, maybe because my family enjoys eating it so much. When I am having Kitchen Therapy I don't even mind cleaning up the mess from the cooking.

It has been cold--that kind of cold that chills you to the bone so Chicken Pot Pies sounded so appealing. I have always liked chicken pot pies, but until about two years ago they seemed like too much work. A couple of years ago, my friend made them for our freezer meal group. They were easy and so yummy! My family loved them, so they have now joined the ranks of other favorite family recipes.

Budget Tip: After Thanksgiving, I had leftover gravy from the turkey and some leftover gravy from biscuits and gravy. I combined the two and added the vegetables and a little salt and pepper and the filling was great–better than with the cream of chicken soup. If you are a pie maker, obviously home made crusts are best; but if you aren't inclined to make pie crusts (which I am not), stock up on the frozen crusts when they are on sale and you will have them ready to make this a quick meal.

The basic recipe can be adapted by adding or deleting some of the vegetables or changing the kinds of vegetables you use. The filling can also be mixed together and frozen to use at another time when you need a quick meal.

I have also adapted this to use no milk by making a gravy like a white sauce using chicken broth instead of milk. I then use that instead of the creamed soup in the filling. It is yummy!

Jeri’s Chicken Pot Pie

½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped onion
1-2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
2-3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1-2 cans cream of chicken soup with herbs
2 cups frozen mixed veggies
1 cup cooked potatoes, cubed
milk to thin
pepper

2 frozen pie crusts

NOTE: Measurements are approximate (believe it or not, this was the note from Jeri when she shared the recipe—my kind of recipe and my kind of cook!)

Sauté celery and onion in butter in large pot. Add soup then remaining ingredients.

Bake the bottom crust for a few minutes to prevent a soggy crust, then pile in the filling.

Turn a frozen crust over the filling, press down edges and cut slits in top to vent.

Bake at 350º for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown.

What I Do: I don’t use quite this much celery or chicken, of course.  I cube the potatoes before I cook them so that I only have to drain, then add them to the mixture. I usually just have cream of chicken soup on hand so I use that. I make two of these for five of us and usually it is all eaten, but everyone is full.


This filling freezes well (even though it has creamed soup). Thaw and add to crust that has been baked, cover with another crust and bake 30-45 minutes until golden brown.

Sour Cream Enchiladas

I have been so busy that dinner time has been rather sparse this week, so last night I decided that I really needed to make something nourishing that my family likes; but since I was so tired, I needed something quick and easy. The kids who are currently residing in my home happen to really like sour cream enchiladas.

I serve these with rice, string beans, and a salad. If I have cooked black beans or pinto beans on hand, I serve either black beans or refried beans instead of the string beans.

Sour cream, cream of chicken soup, tortillas, cheese and salsa are staples at my house because I use them in so many other recipes, so I can always whip up these enchiladas for a quick meal that everyone likes. I adapted this recipe years ago, when I had a lot of little kids at home, to be more consistent and less spicy by using salsa instead of the green chiles, although the the chiles are tasty. If I only have cream of mushroom soup, I use that instead of the cream of chicken soup and the taste is a little different, but still good.

I had a friend who used to put some cooked chicken in each enchilada before rolling it. They were good and added a little more body to the enchiladas, although my family likes them without the chicken just fine.


Budget Tip: Buy the sour cream in larger containers at a club store. If you use it within a couple of weeks, it keeps fine and is much less expensive. Cheese is also less expensive at the club stores. Buy the cream soups on sale NOT at the club store to make the meal less expensive.

Sour Cream Enchiladas

Linda

1 pint sour cream

4 ounce can green chilies (diced)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 lb. Longhorn cheese (grated)

1 dozen flour or corn tortillas

Combine sour cream, green chilies, soup, and 2/3 of cheese. Warm tortillas in a skillet just to soften. Put 1 tablespoon of mixture in tortilla and roll up. Place in pan. Put remaining mixture on top. Then sprinkle the remainder of cheese. Bake 350º F. for 20 minutes or until cheese melts and filling is heated through.

What I Do: I found the chilies too unpredictable when cooking for small kids so I began using ½ cup salsa instead, I use whatever cheese I have on hand which is usually mild cheddar, and I always use flour tortillas. I don’t normally warm the tortillas first, however, if you do they are more pliable and less likely to crack. I add the salsa to the soups and sour cream, but I leave the cheese separate. I put a heaping soup spoon of mixture and about a tablespoon of grated cheese inside of each tortilla before rolling it. If the mixture doesn’t look like it will lightly cover the top of the rolled tortillas, then I add another can of cream of chicken soup. I don’t think I can do a dozen tortillas without adding the extra can of soup so you will have to experiment and see what works for you.

Note: The first time you make these, they take a little time to put together; however, I can make a restaurant size pan up in about 10 minutes because I have made them so often..

Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Oh my, what a hectic week! I have spent the week compiling orders, ordering food, picking up food, and helping to assemble about 350 sub sandwiches for a fundraiser for my son's high school band. It was a little stressful, but after the subs were done today, I felt some exhilaration at completing the task--even with its gliches--of again preparing volumes of food.

Now that so many of my kids have left home, I don't get the opportunity very often to prepare as large of quantities as I used to. When I do, I always remember how much I really do enjoy cooking.

Last night after running around picking up food, delivering vegetables to be cut for today, and finding room to store VOLUMES of tomatoes, onions, and cheese in my refrigerator last night, I was very tired and didn't really feel like doing much; but we needed a quick dinner because the boys both had to be somewhere.

I turned to a favorite standby since being introduced upon our move to Maryland, Cheesesteak Sandwiches. The rolls make a difference in the taste of this meal, and we like LOTS of green peppers and onions with our meat. Budget Tip: Most expensive is not always best! We discovered, by accident, that our favorite rolls to use for this meal are our store brand club rolls. They are sort of like a 6" french roll.

Cheesesteak Sandwiches

1 16 ounce box frozen cheesesteak
1-1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2-4 green bell peppers, sliced in strips
2-3 onions

Saute onions and bell peppers for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the frozen meat, no need to thaw. Use a spoon or spatula to break up the meat and move the vegetables and meat around so they don't burn. Continue until there is no pink in the meat and the vegetables are cooked a little more than tender crisp.

Serve on rolls that have been warmed at 500 degrees for about 5 minutes. We like them just a little bit crisp on the outside.

Split the rolls, spoon about 1/3 - 1/2 cup meat and vegetables, sprinkle with cheese immediately so it will melt on the sandwich.


NOTE: I just cut the onion in half lengthwise, then slice thin wedges into the pan with the peppers. As the onion cooks, the parts separate themselves and grill up nicely.

Pasta Primavera

Some of my sons are very large eaters. One of them says that he loves it when we have pasta because he gets full then! I like pasta with meat sauce, but sometimes I feel in the mood for something different.

I really like pasta Alfredo, but find that it is so rich that I really can only eat it as a side dish. I was snooping around to find another sauce to use with pasta and I found this one. It is easy, inexpensive, and fills up my sons. :) Budget Tip: Buy the cream cheese when it is on sale and freeze it. When you are ready to make this recipe, just take it out of the freezer to thaw and the sauce is not affected by the change that sometimes occurs in cream cheese when it is frozen.

Serve topped with parmesan or romano cheese. I grew up using parmesan cheese, but a few years ago I found a romano cheese that I just love. The flavor is a little different than the parmesan.

Pasta Primavera

1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese (best if softenend, but not essential)
1 + cup of fresh vegetables (eg: carrots, brocolli, zucchini, mushrooms)
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon oil; olive, corn, or vegetable
1 - 2 cups milk
1 pound pasta
grated parmesan or romano cheese


Put on a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. We usually use thin speghetti for this meal. Meanwhile, place cream cheese and 1 cup of milk on low heat to melt the cream cheese. It is not necessary to stir constantly, but be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

Depending on how many vegetables you are using and how fast you can prepare them, you can do the vegetable preparation while the cream cheese is melting or have them already prepared before you start the sauce.

Saute the garlic and vegetables in 1 Tablespoon oil for a few minutes until just tender crisp, like you would for stir fry vegetables. Set the vegetables aside.

Cook the pasta as directed on the package; be sure not to over cook it or it will be mushy. Drain and serve with sauce.

When the cream cheese has "melted" completely, you can add milk a little at a time until until the sauce is the consistency you would like. I like it to be like thick cream. Add the vegetables, mix well and serve over hot pasta.

This amount serves 2-4, depending on how much the people being served eat.


What I Do: I always use brocolli and carrots and other vegetables as I have on hand or feel like. I break the brocolli into very small flowerettes and I usually slice the carrots into matchsticks to vary the texture and size of vegetables. When I use zucchini I usually slice it in rounds. I usually dish up the pasta into the pasta bowls and serve a large spoon of sauce on each bowl of pasta. Top with parmesan or romano (my preference) cheese. My sons who are large eaters can eat this whole amount in one sitting; therefore, I normally at least double this. I like to use the most vegetables that the rest of the family will tolerate which is probably closer to 2 cups per 8 ounces of cream cheese and 1 1/2 - 2 cups milk.

Apple Dip

Although we are having a 2-day break in fall weather so it is warm and sunny, a favorite fall snack in our family is apples and dip. I first had this dip a number of years ago and LOVED it! I asked for the recipe and was surprised at how easy it was. If I make the dip and keep it in the refrigerator, the kids will even choose apples and dip over junk food as an after school snack!

I am kind of weird about always peeling my apples, but for these slices I leave the peeling on and it does not distract from the taste at all; but the color from the peeling looks nice and adds nutrients. My mom always said that most of the vitamins are in the peeling!

I had to take a side dish for a lunch today, so I made my handy dandy dip in a few minutes, sliced 12 apples in about 5 minutes and got rave reviews on the dip. Budget Tip: Buy the cream cheese on sale and store in your freezer. Thaw the cream cheese in the refrigerator overnight and it is ready to use the next day. If you are using a lot of cream cheese, it is convenient to buy the 3 pound box at a club store; however, if you buy it on sale, it is usually less expensive.

Apple Dip

1 8oz package cream cheese

½ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

apple slices

Mix well with your mixer and dip apple slices. This tastes very caramelly. It always receives rave reviews!

What I Do: I do not peel the apples. A mix of red and green apples makes a nice presentation. I have a Kitchenaid mixer that I use, but truthfully, if I am only making this much, sometimes I just pull out the hand mixer and it does fine. My friend actually mixes this by hand, but the electric mixer makes it nice and fluffy.

And THAT is really all there is to it!

Double Chocolate Brownies

Today I am not feeling very inspired, however I am craving chocolate brownies. We have a favorite brownie recipe in our family that is chewy and chocolaty as all brownies should be. The secret to brownies is not to over bake them—though they may still be edible if you need an immediate chocolate fix.

It has been many years since I actually made a single batch of these brownies because even though many of my kids have left home to wander out on their own, brownies are always a good “share with your neighbor” item.

This is another recipe from my fond memories of Indiana. My friend, Nanette, was so fun! She was quite an amazing person, so every time I make these brownies I think of her fondly. And so we are back to the real enjoyment of the food is the associations with the people we love (see the first post).

Double Chocolate Brownies

Nanette

For quite sometime, these were THE brownies we ALWAYS used. We usually doubled the recipe and baked them in the VERY large restaurant size pan. My oldest daughter honed these to perfection and could make them quickly and they always came out perfect.

2 c. sugar

1 c. oil or butter (I always use oil)

1/2 c. cocoa

4 eggs

1 ½ c. flour

2 T. vanilla

1 t. salt

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix together in order listed. Put in greased 9”x 13” pan. Bake @ 350° for 20 minutes. Do NOT over bake!

What I Do: I use 1/2 the chips but you MUST use some chips in this recipe or it doesn’t turn out as good.

Scones

Since living in Indiana many years ago, I always bring out one of my favorite movies, “Hoosiers”, this time of year. The opening scenes show Gene Hackman, affectionately known to my sons as “Coach”, driving through the colorful autumn trees in Southern Indiana. While there are many places that are beautiful as the trees put on their autumn colors, Indiana is where I associate that amazing change from the hot stuffy Midwest summer to the pleasant relief of fall. Fall is one of my favorite times of year and as the air turns cool it makes me want to bake.

I admire people like my daughter-in-law who have the patience to bake cookies other than bar cookies that you dump in the pan to cut into pieces after they have finished baking. My patience only extends about as far as scones. Although scones come from Great Britain, I always associate them with Indiana because that is where I found my favorite scone recipe. It doesn’t take much time or effort to prepare, cook, or eat!

One of the things about scones is they are really quite versatile. They are sweet enough, but not to sweet; light enough, but not too temperamental; and they are pretty resilient if you aren’t exact on everything. I do mostly measure the ingredients, but if I don’t use a knife to level the top of the flour, for example, they still turn out ok. They are good with breakfast, brunch, snacks, or dessert. You can add other things to them or serve them plain. Basically, they are undervalued in food circles.

Although these are not authentic British scones because they are more cookie-ish than biscuit-ish, I am somewhat of a purist in that I don’t really prefer raisins, craisins, blueberries, or the myriad of other things that people and restaurants add to scones. I like to just enjoy plain scones with the tiniest brush of butter across their tops when they are warm. I don’t even prefer treacle or honey that is customarily served with them, though I would certainly not discourage others from enjoying them that way.

Scones

The ones I usually make

2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

½ cup shortening

½ cup raisins or dried currants

2 eggs, slightly beaten

¼ cup milk

Sift dry ingredients together. Blend in shortening with pastry blender until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add remaining ingredients. Mix with fork, divide into two parts, and turn each part out on floured board. Do NOT handle. Flatten with rolling pin into circles about ½ inch or more thick. Cut into triangles and put on greased and floured cookie sheet. Bake in preheated hot over (400º F.) for 15 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm, lightly buttered. Makes about 16.

What I Do: If you handle these, they will lose their light texture which contributes to my enjoyment. I am very hard on rolling pins so after breaking three of them, (How do you break rolling pins? Another story for another day.) I now just use a large drinking glass—although my favorite one is not glass at all. I have tried making these into the more traditional biscuit shapes, but the lose some of the texture that I enjoy about them.

The Real Deal

Scones

The real ones they make in Scotland

3 T. butter

2 cups flour

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tarter

1 tsp sugar

sour milk (or buttermilk)

Rub the butter into the flour. Mix with the other ingredients and enough sour milk to form a soft dough. Roll out ½” thick and press out into rounds. Bake 5-10 minutes @ 475º. These are kind of like biscuits that are served in Scotland. This recipe is from my friend’s mom who is from Scotland.

Chinese Hamburger

Budget Saver: Usually when hamburger is on sale, I buy several pounds—many pounds, actually. Some of it I freeze in ¾ pound portions (you remember that I often reduce the meat in recipes), and the rest I brown with onions but no spices and freeze in zip lock freezer bags to have on hand on a busy day. Most everything that I use hamburger for includes onions; however, other spices may vary so this leaves me the most flexibility using the meat.


Timersaver Tip: I just take the bag out of the freezer, microwave it for 1 minute and voila, I am ready to put together any number of recipes including spaghetti sauce, enchilada casserole, slumgulion, and the following, Chinese Hamburger.

This is quite an ordinary dish, but it really does go further than you would think. However, one of my daughter’s friends has had this at our house and REALLY likes it! My kids all laugh because to them it is just an old standby.

The variation is also very good; I have gone through phases of preferring one or the other, but this is one recipe that I never skimp on the celery. Budget Saver: If you buy the celery at a club store, it is often SO much cheaper. Since celery keeps a little while if the stalks aren’t disturbed, you can plan to make several dishes that include celery within 7-10 days OR you can share the stalks with your friends, share the price, and make the celery very reasonably priced.

Chinese Hamburger
Grandma

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup celery, sliced on the diagonal
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 onions, chopped
1 cup water
½ cup uncooked rice
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup crisp Chinese noodles

Brown meat in skillet with onion, add and mix all ingredients except noodles. Bake covered tightly at 350º F. for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 30 minutes more. Sprinkle top with noodles, return to oven and bake uncovered 15 minutes longer.


What I Do: I often useuse 1/2 - 3/4 pound meat, but I never use less celery in this recipe—it is important for the consistency and taste. I double everything but the meat and triple the rice and water. If I only have cream of mushroom soup then I use two cans of that and I often omit the mushrooms because of some of the kids’ dislikes. BUT this makes a lot more than it sounds like! I don’t think I have ever used the Chinese noodles, however, I have used ½ -1 cup bean sprouts in the mixture and we liked it, it was healthy, and it stretched the meal a little further. Also, I usually cook it the whole time with the foil on.

Variation
from Karen

1 pound ground beef
½ bunch celery, chopped
1 onion chopped
1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
Bean sprouts (optional)
Lipton’s Noodle Soup
2/3 cup uncooked rice
1 chicken bouillon cube

Brown meat and pour off excess grease. Sauté celery, onion and pepper in another pan. Bean sprouts can also be added, if desired.

Bring to boil:

3 cups water

Add:

1 package Lipton’s Noodle Soup
2/3 cup rice
1 chicken bouillon cube

Combine all ingredients in 2 quart casserole dish and bake covered for 1 hour at 350˚.

Egg McMuffins

Since most of my children are sensitive to milk and need to limit their intake, we have never been big cold cereal eaters; but, I feel the need to provide breakfast. Although I am a morning person, a person can only get up so early, especially with a hectic morning ahead, so I have seriously streamlined the process.

One of the challenges in my family is being sure everyone starts their day with enough protein because I have several children, one in particular, who is very grouchy and lethargic until he eats. Add in a hectic morning and/or a tired, slow-moving mom and we need an easy breakfast to get everyone going.

Years ago I began experimenting with the Egg McMuffin idea. I have tried different kinds of eggs, meat, and bread. I have even tried them with Swiss and Jack cheeses, separately, of course; and this is the one that my family likes the best. We use the registered trademark name, even though we have changed it a little. My creativity never extended to original meal names.

Egg McMuffins®

English Muffins, enough for 1-2 per person
1 egg per muffin
½ -1 slice of the ham lunchmeat that comes in the rectangles shape
1 largish slice cheddar cheese per muffin

Start cooking the English Muffins right away if you are cooking many in the toaster because they take longer than other breads to toast. (When all the kids were at home, I would just lie them out on a cookie sheet and broil them, but I prefer them in the toaster.)

Spray your skillet with non-stick cooking spray, even if it is a non-stick skillet. Turn the heat on medium-low (don’t cook your eggs on too high of heat or they will burn or at least get that stiff edge on them). Add ½ Tablespoon of butter or margarine. Crack the eggs and place them separately in the skillet. You can cook 4 comfortably, 5 if you are fairly coordinated (which I am not) at a time. When the whites begin to get solid, break the yolk and turn the eggs. If you have an electric stove and you don’t need to cook any more eggs, you can turn off the burner at this point.

Meanwhile, slice your cheese, 1-2 slices per muffin and cut the ham in half. I am not a big carnivore, as I have said before, so I usually just use ½ slice of ham per person. However, when my son was working a very physically labor intensive job, I did use more ham on his muffin.

I take the muffins from the toaster, put the ham on the bottom, the hot egg next, then the cheese, top with the warm top of the English muffin and, better than McDonald’s and just as fast, you have breakfast. Serve with orange juice and it’s a fast and easy breakfast.

What I Do: I have found that the store brand English Muffins or the English Muffin bread (which I love) work fine with this meal. Usually 1-2 per person is more than enough; they are surprisingly filling. Occasionally one of my very large eaters will eat 3, but not very often. If you have a child who won’t eat eggs, omit the eggs. I usually use the store brand lunchmeat ham that is rectangular shaped; Kirkland brand at the club stores is especially good.

Ham Fried Rice

It seems that I have been thinking of this meal for several days now. I even got some ham the last time I went shopping especially so I could make Ham Fried Rice. But alas, I am finally making it today. It is inexpensive, easy, filling, tastes good, freezes well, and is quick to make. Now, that is some resume for a yummy dinner!

Apparently it wasn't clear to my sons the day that I was running late and called home to have them make this meal for dinner that it is necessary to saute the onions a little before you add the other ingredients. It tasted ok, but the onions definitely take longer to cook than anything else.

This is a great meal for leftover rice and/or leftover ham. I usually use whatever ham I have on hand, leftover ham (like at Christmas or Easter or whenever we have a ham), lunchmeat (the rectangle kind), or any ham that you have on hand or like. Since my family members are not huge carnivores, except one son, I usually don't add the full amount the recipe calls for which makes this a perfect recipe to use leftovers.

As a timesaver, if I know I will be making this dish, I make extra rice with another meal beforehand. I refrigerate the extra rice to use the day I make Ham Fried Rice making this even quicker and easier to prepare.

Ham Fried Rice

(from What’s for Dinner? By Brenda Bennett)

2 eggs

3 cups cooked rice

1 pound ham, diced

2 cups frozen peas

1 can chopped mushrooms

2 Tablespoons dried onion

1 can sliced water chestnuts

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

Whisk eggs and cook in a skillet. When set, remove from pan and cut into strips. Combine all ingredients in a bag. Remove air and seal. Freeze. We have used this in the freezer meal swap.

Freezer Bag Instructions: Thaw. Fry in 2 Tablespoons oil until heated through.

What I do: I add another 2-3 cups of cooked rice and reduce the ham by about ½; one son likes having a LOT of ham, but the rest of us think it is too much. Also, I just use fresh onion that I have on hand. Green onions are my preference, but if I don’t have them on hand, I use what I have. I don't always use mushrooms, but I do always use water chestnuts.

If I am making it to use now, I just proceed with the directions without putting it in a bag or freezing it.

NOTE: This was originally a freezer meal recipe and you can make 12 packages in about an hour and a half once the ingredients are all cooked. Be sure the rice is just barely cooked if you are freezing it or you will have a mushy dinner..

Apple Cake

One of my favorite things about fall is crisp red apples. I used to prefer Red Delicious apples, but now I think maybe that was because they were the only kind I had eaten, or I had eaten them very fresh. Now, my favorite eating apples are Galas, followed closely by Fuji and Braeburns. I eat them last at lunch time because they leave a fresh taste in my mouth and their crunch seems to satisfy some of my insatiable munchiness.

Gratefully, I inherited some cooking apples yesterday. I am excited to make one of my favorite fall desserts, apple cake. Although this cake is easy, it needs to be put together just the way it says or it will not turn out right. Budget Saver: This can be made with whatever apples are least expensive, or if you happen to have some apples on hand that have seen better days for eating, you can cut the bad spots out and use them here.

Make the Cook ‘N Serve pudding, for the top of the cake, in the microwave for easier clean up and quicker finished product.

Apple Cake
Sean’s Mom

4 cups sliced apples, peeled
2 cups sugar

Mix together, then add:

2 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix the following until coagulated then add to above mixture, mixing by hand:

2 eggs
¾ cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 box of vanilla Cook ‘N Serve pudding

If you mix these ingredients in the order you do for most cake recipes, the cake does not turn out right. This is VERY thick—looks like apples with a little goop added. Bake in 9x13-inch pan at 350º for 50 minutes. Serve with custard sauce. I use Jell-O Cook ‘n Serve vanilla pudding, warm. In a pinch, I have used the instant pudding made with an extra ½ cup of milk, but the warm pudding is best.

NOTE: The original recipe really does say coagulate. I thought that was a funny thing in a recipe, the mom is a chemist! This is the best apple cake ever!

Smoked Sausage and Vegetable Skillet

Potatoes and carrots are staples in my home. Potatoes are relatively inexpensive and so versatile, yet they have gotten a bad rap. Really the problem is not with the potatoes but with how you eat them; although, I must admit that I like them in all of the sinful ways: baked loaded with not just butter or sour cream—but both, fried, French fries, and hashbrowns. However, they really are a vegetable and they really help the budget when feeding a bunch of teenage boys since they are healthy and inexpensive.

My favorites are Idaho russets for most things. I know the books say that russets are not good for mashing, but mashed potatoes are one of my family’s favorites, so we have tried all kinds of potatoes and find the russets to be the lightest and creamiest for the end product. However, all russets are not created equal and I really do prefer the ones from Idaho. I have found them more difficult to come by the further east I have lived, but most of the year I can still buy them at a fairly reasonable price. Budget Saver: if you live near a wholesale produce market, buy potatoes by the 50# box or bag. Split them with a friend or neighbor and even if you have to give some away, they may still be less expensive this way.

If you live in the western part of the U.S., you are missing out on an inexpensive vegetable if you don’t use potatoes. In the east, they cost a little more, but are still a good buy for their nutrients, taste, and substance.

In a hurry but don’t want to have a budget buster for dinner? Try the smoked sausage with vegetables recipe below. Cooked just right, the carrots and cabbage in this recipe are sweet and will tempt most kids to eat their vegetables.

Smoked Sausage and Vegetable Skillet

1 ring of smoked sausage

1-2 potatoes per person

2-4 carrots per person, ends trimmed

½ small head cabbage, core and cut into 4-6 wedges

Salt and pepper to taste

Wash the carrots well and lay them on the bottom of your skillet. Peel potatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Lay the potato halves on top of the carrots overlapping as little as possible. Place the smoked sausage ring on top of the potatoes. Place the cabbage wedges on top of the sausage, again, overlapping as little as possible. Pour two cups of water over all (if you are using a very large skillet for feeding 8-10, add another cup + of water). Place a tight fitting lid or foil sealed around the edges on top of the skillet. Turn on high, bring to a boil then reduce to medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes depending on the amount you are cooking. When potatoes are cooked so that a fork can be poked in them easily, put the vegetables in bowls and cut the sausage into 4-6 pieces. Enjoy.

What I Do: I always use Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage, although my mom likes their Polish Kielbasa also. I have tried other brands and my family doesn’t find them as palatable. Budget Saver: the Wal-Mart near me sells the Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage for 2/$5.00 as their regular price. I usually stock up when I am at Wal-Mart so that I always have the sausage rings on hand. As I said, potatoes and carrots are staples at my house making this a quick, easy, and inexpensive meal to prepare on days that are hectic or that I don’t have much energy.

Oven Stew

I love the fall when the air is crisp and cool and it feels homey to have the oven on baking and warming the house. While I use my crockpot, sometimes I would like my stew done a little sooner without having to watch it on the stovetop or to insure that my vegetables are “just right”. This is the perfect recipe to make your home warm and cozy with the fragrance of homecooking. This is a real budget meal if you get the meat on sale and use the store brand V8 or tomato juice.

Budget Saver: I usually buy the large packages of stew meat when they are on sale, and bag and freeze them in meal size portions for my family so I never have to pay full price for the meat. Also, it is more important how many meals you can get for your family than how much the meat actually costs per pound. Another budget tip: I rarely use the full amount of meat called for in a recipe. If your family is big on meat, gradually reduce the amount you are adding until you reach the amount that is palatable for your family and budget saving for you.

Looking for inexpensive spices, try Monterey Bay Spice Company at http://www.herbco.com/ You must buy in bulk and do you know how much 1/4 pound of bay leaves is? Get together with your friends and family and send in one order and share. These are the freshest spices, except for homegrown that I have found.

Oven Stew

Carol

Dice together:

5 potatoes

5 carrots

1 onion

3 stalks celery

Add 1 pound stew meat cut into bite size pieces

Pour over vegetables and meat:

1 cup V8 Juice

Sprinkle over mixture:

1 Tablespoon oregano or Italian seasoning, parsley flakes and, as my son would say, whatever else looks good like I usually add a bay leaf or two

2 teaspoons salt

2 Tablespoons tapioca

Bake 4 hours at 250º F. after covering tightly with foil.

What I Do: Truthfully, I just eyeball the vegetables and meat for my large family of large eaters, which amounts to about 2 medium/large potatoes and 2 carrots per person. Adjust onions accordingly and celery is optional. I use about 1 1/2 cups of stew meat cut into bite sized portions. I often use the store brand V8 Juice, or when it is too expensive, I have even used just tomato juice. I add the same number of cans of water as I am using of the juice if I am making more than a 9 x 13" size pan. I don’t use the tapioca, although the stew is good with it. Also, I don't add the salt in the pan, but sometimes we add it at the table. I only cook it about 3 hours on 350º.

Last night I added about 2 teaspoons of rosemary in addition to the other spices. The flavor was good, but 2 teaspoons were too much. Next time, I would try 1 teaspoon.

Sunday Morning Waffles

This blog has been a long time getting started. I have thought and thought and realized that I just need to write. My family loves to eat and we love food, thus “It’s All About the Food”. A few years ago I compiled a family cookbook by that name; and I realized that it is really all about the relationships. But in my large family, of necessity, we have spent a lot of time bonding over discussing, preparing, eating, and cleaning up after food; thus, “It’s All About the Food”.

On the first Sunday in October, we have a tradition of having waffles with vanilla ice cream and strawberries. Sometimes we add whipped cream on top, but not always. It all started back in the day when I used Krusteaz pancake and waffle mix so it was an inexpensive, easy, and fun meal for the kids.

Over the years, my favorite basic cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens, came out with a new edition which included the following waffle recipe which is inexpensive, easy, and yummy! I have now been using this recipe for several years and it has become our favorite standby. While I am not one to follow a recipe exactly, this one is practically perfect in every way!

Waffles

Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 ¾ cups milk

½ cup cooking oil or butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. In a medium bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

2. In another medium bowl beat eggs slightly; stir in milk, oil, and vanilla. Add egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy).

3. Pour 1 to 1 ¼ cups of batter onto grids of a preheated, lightly greased waffle baker. Close lid quickly; do not open until done. Bake according to manufacturer’s directions. When done, use a fork to lift waffle off grid. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm.

Buttermilk Waffles: Prepare as above, except reduce baking powder to 1 teaspoon and add ½ teaspoon baking soda. Substitute 2 cups buttermilk or sour milk for milk.

Blueberry Waffles: I have had the best luck with sprinkling the blueberries on top of the batter before closing the lid of the waffle baker, rather than mixing them in the batter. You must be sure to spray the waffle irons with non-stick cooking spray before each waffle.

What I Do: I really like this recipe because it doesn’t require the egg whites to be beaten separately, yet it is not heavy. I always use vegetable, corn, or canola oil instead of melted butter or margarine. I have tried reducing the oil, but the waffles are heavier and drier and we don’t prefer them. This recipe may be tripled with no problems. Do NOT use the mixer, it mixes the batter too much and makes the waffles heavy.

For our traditional October waffles: Make waffles as directed in recipe. Let each person spread vanilla ice cream on their waffles and top with fresh sliced strawberries, or if they are too expensive or not palatable, frozen strawberries, thawed, will do.