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.