And a sprinkle of sugar . . .

This is the first year I haven't made royal icing and tinted many small batches in Christmas colors

 and they taste just as good and look just as pretty

Two batches

made a lot of cookies

A glass of ice cold milk is all I need

Yum!

2/3 cup butter flavored crisco

3/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon extract

1 large egg

2 cups self rising flour

Mix crisco, sugar, milk and extracts until creamy.  Add egg, mix well, add flour until until mixed.  Do not over mix the batter.  Bake at 375 until done.

From there, let your imagination and Christmas creativity run wild!

Christmas Countdown

Biscotti Biscotti Biscotti ~~ No peeking MOM!

Red Velvet Biscotti

Gingerbread biscotti

Chocolate peanut butter biscotti

Vanilla Irish Cream

Honey cinnamon butter

2 sticks room temperature butter

1 cup honey

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix until fluffy

4 ounce jars with labels from lollychops

I always give my mom biscotti for Christmas so you better not be peeking!

I didn't want to bore you with a bunch of biscotti recipes so send me a message if you'd like any of the recipes.

Merry Christmas!!

Lots of request for the red velvet biscotti.  Just click on this link

It's official - with a recipe!

The Christmas season is upon us.  The Little One made  the first batch of Christmas cookies today but I doubt that they last the night - when homemade cookies are made they barely have a chance to cool down before they're half gone.

In the meantime, I'm left wondering who will wipe up the dusting of flour that seems to have magically covered the kitchen like a dusting of snow.

From such a simple cookie, there is a mountain of dishes in the sink.  I wonder if Little One will wash them.

Yummy with homemade vanilla sugar

All the left over turkey sitting in the fridge and no one eating it.  I can't stand for food to be wasted.  I mean, I cooked an 18 pound turkey and was asked why I didn't get a bigger one.  So I took it upon myself to not allow the turkey to sit there, all alone, in the fridge just waiting to be eaten.

I call it Cathy's Cassoulet

4 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed well

1 onion chopped

2 large garlic cloves

1/2 cup green pepper

1 handful of dried cherry tomatoes

3 cups chicken broth

1 sliced kielbasa

2 cups left over turkey

2 ribs celery

Mix will and cook in crockpot on low 6-8 hours.  Serve over hot rice.

I like mine a little spicier so I topped mine off with a few drops of hot sauce.

Hubby and "his" dog.  I swear this dog get more attention than I do!  It's not fair, I tell you.  Taz just jumps up on the couch and automatically everyone is petting him and playing with him.  Ok, so I don't jump on the couch but I plop down on it - no one pets me.  Not fair at all.

But then again, it's damn hard to compete with something this cute.

Christmas Countdown

Big Daddy Dinner

This dish is the boy's current favorite.  It takes on many names, including Sasquatch Surprise, but the name for tonight was Big Daddy Dinner.

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 jar beef gravy
1 large can big chunk veg all
pie crust

Mix first three ingredients and  bake til golden brown!

Canning Day

I got a recipe from my mom for cucumber relish.  She got the recipe from one of her good friends who just happens to be a great cook.

I ended up with 8 jars of cucumber relish, 8 pints of dill pickles and 3 pints of strawberry jam.  The house is permeated with the smell of vinegar.  So much so that hubby says his eyes are burning.  Hmmm, it doesn't bother me.  I LOVE it.

I hope that my garden produces much, much more so I get to can all summer long!

Here's the recipe for the cucumber relish:

6 large cucumbers
4 onions
2 green peppers
2 red peppers (I didn't have any red, so I used all green)
1 Tbsp canning salt
2 cups sugar
2 cups vinegar
1 Tbsp celery seed
1 Tbsp mustard seed


Peel and seed cukes, chop onion, cukes, and peppers into small pieces.  Add salt and mix together.  Allow to sit 30 minutes and then drain.

Add rest of the ingredients and cook until thick.  Pour into jars and seal.

Fried Cucumber???

We've all heard of fried green tomatoes and fried squash and even fried dill pickles, but have you ever heard of fried cucumber?

Out of the garden today, we got lots of cukes, one green pepper, tons of jalapenos and 4 large green 'maters.  I ran to the store to get a mix to make bread and butter pickles but they were out.  I did not want to go to another store, so I decided to do something else with all the cukes.

I made up a big batch of goulash to go on the cornbread and white beans.

1 green pepper

1 large onion

1 large cucumber

Dice all to desired size and pour white vinegar over to cover.

This went nicely with the fried green 'maters and fried squash

1 squash sliced thinly

Stir together 1 cup flour, desired spices, and enough beer to make a thin batter.

Dip vegetables in and fry in bacon drippings.

Now, this is where the cukes come in.

Using the beer batter, I sliced the cukes lengthwise thinly and fried 'til my heart and stomach was content.

Amazingly enough, they were wonderful!

I shared some of my garden goodies with Miss Iris next door and she gave me 2 jars of pear preserves and 2 jars of canned pears.  What great country neighbors!

Blog Hop - Hop on over & Gardening & Pickle Recipe

Kathie over at Kathies box of chocolates is having a no holds barred blog hop.  I thought this was a great idea to get to know bloggers that have similar interests.  I can't wait to peruse the blogs that strike my fancy.

So hop on over and see if you can find one or two or three that pique your interest.



The garden is offically out.  Hubby got it all tilled up and yesterday we planted 20 better boy tomatoes, one cherry tomato, 4 jalapenos, 8 green peppers, one row of purple hull peas, cukes, 1 squash, butternut squash, cantaloupe, watermelon, lots of sunflowers, banana peppers . . . I'm sure I'm leaving something out.  We had a nice drenching rain during the night, so that is a great start for the garden.  I also have dill, oregano, and basil coming up!  I cook with oregano and basil year round.





My boys cannot get enough dill pickles.  I have to can quarts and quarts and quarts of them. 

Left to right:  Squash pickles, dill pickles, salsa

Ingredients

Approximately 10 pounds of pickling cukes (small)
5 cups white vinegar

13 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup pickling salt…coarse
fresh garlic pieces
fresh dill

Directions

Wash cukes well and leave in cold water while preparing everything else.
Mix water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Simmer.
Prepare canning lids and rings by simmering in water.
Prepare clean, warm canning jars by adding 1-2 pieces garlic pieces and one head of fresh dill. Pack tightly with cukes. I prefer to use very small whole cukes.
Fill jars carefully with hot brine (vinegar mix).
Place lids and rings on the jars carefully and place into a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.


Some country cooks do not process their pickles in a boiling water bath. Pickles can be done be completely eliminating the canning process and they will seal on their own. However, many people are not comfortable with this method. You have to do what works best for you.

Dumplin's

Unfortunately tonight's dinner was inhaled so fast I didn't get a picture but I will share my recipe with you!

2 cans chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 stick of butter


2 cups flour
1/4 cup cold crisco
milk to mix

With your hands mix the crisco into the flour well.  Pour in a little milk at a time until a firm dough forms.  Spread flour onto your counter, split dough in half and roll out until very thin.  With a pizza cutter, cut dough into strips, then run cutter cross wise forming two inch rectangles.  Repeat with remaining dough.  Drop dumplins into broth mix and allow to simmer between 10-15 minutes.  Do NOT stir the dumplins, but use a spoon to break them up if they begin clumping.  Cover and allow to softly simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Test a dumplin to make sure it's cooked through.  If not, keep simmering.

When I make a big pot of these, there are NEVER any leftovers (Sorry Jules!)  Imagine Cracker Barrel's dumplins -- only BETTER!

We had smoked pork chops, dumplins, croissants with pear preserves (homemade), and purple hull peas that I grew in the garden last summer.

Ya'll come on down, we'll cook up something yummy when you get here!

Grandmother's Sunday Chocolate Pie

1 1/2 cups sugar


4 Tbsp. flour

5 Tbsp. cocoa powder

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks

1 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. butter flavor extract

prebaked pie shell



Meringue

3 egg whites

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 cup sugar

In a medium pan, combine sugar, flour, and cocoa and mix well. Slowly add milk. Slightly beat the yolks and add to chocolate mixture. Add the butter. Cook until thick, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add extract. Pour into prebaked shell and top with meringue.




For meringue, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy and slowly add sugar. Beat until still peaks form. Top pie with meringue and bake at 350 degrees until meringue is golden.




This is truly the best chocolate pie EVER!!!

Scrumptious Sunday

This cake is one I make during the holidays.  Hubby's mother made it every year and he said it doesn't seem like the holidays without it.  His sister found the recipe and I thought I would share it with you.

Orange Slice Cake

1 cup coconut
4 cups plain flour

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 lb chopped dates

1 lb orange slice candy, cut into 4-5 pieces each



Glaze

2 cups brown sugar

6 or 8 oz can frozen orange juice


Grease and flour a tube pan. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.


In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk and add to the creamed mixture.



Place flour in a separate large bowl and stir in the dates, orange slices, and nuts. Stir to coat each piece. Add flour mixture and coconut to creamed mixture. Mixture will be very thick and hard to stir.



Pour batter into the tube pan. Bake for approximately 2 1/2 hours. Remove from oven. Combine the orange juice and brown sugar and and heat in a small saucepan until sugar is dissolved. Pour over hot cake. Let stand in pan overnight.



Invert onto a large cake plate. It doesn't have to be refrigerated but you can if you like.


Hubby likes to keep it refrigerated and warm up up a slice at a time.  Like traditional fruitcake, this will keep for many weeks, when refrigerated.

Ready to go into the oven

Just out of the oven

Ready to eat!

Fun Friday

I'm so glad it's Friday.  There's just something about knowing it's Friday and the weekend is here.  To celebrate Friday I thought I would share a recipe with you.

This is one of my most favorite desserts ever!  It's easy to make and never lasts long.  As a matter of fact, the first time I made it was for a family reunion.  It never made it to the reunion!  I had to make a second one.


Black Walnut Apple Cake with Lemon Butter

4 cups raw apples, chopped coarsely
2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3/4 cup oil

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups sifted flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup chopped black walnuts



Icing:

3 cups powdered sugar

4 tbsp butter

2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp water

Combine apples and sugar and allow to stand while preparing other ingredients. Beat eggs with oil and vanilla. Sift flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Stir into the egg mixture. Add apple/sugar mixture and walnuts.




Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour. When cool, cover with lemon butter icing.



Icing:

Mix all ingredients well. If too thick, add an additional tablespoon of water. Frost the cake and enjoy.

Enjoy and happy Friday!

Save a Penny Sunday

Have you ever heard the old expression "He's so tight he squeaks when he walk"?  I'm not quite that bad, but I do try to make economical meals that my family enjoys. 

I thought I would share a few of my favorite penny saver recipes.



Crockpot chicken


Place 3 balls of aluminum foil in bottom of crock pot. This lets the juices drain from the chicken.

Place a whole 3-4lb. chicken on the foil after washing it.

Slice an onion and place on and around the chicken for flavor.

Drop 12 - 15 drops of Texas Pete or hot sauce on the chicken or more for desired taste.

Cook on high 4-6 hrs.

This chicken taste very similar to rotisserie chicken. It is not a bit hot from the hot sauce.




Hamburger Roll


Mix up enough biscuit mix to roll out into a large rectangle.

Brown one pound ground beef (deer), season with salt and pepper.  Lay down the middle of the dough lengthwise and sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Roll up and bake at 350 until golden brown.
*This can be customized many ways to suit your family's tastes.




Pickled Dilled Eggs


12 hard boiled eggs, shelled

1 medium onion, sliced thin

¾ cup water

1 ¼ cup white vinegar

2 tsp salt

1 tsp dill weed

1 clove garlic, halved



2-3 tbsp sugar – optional



Firmly pack eggs and onions alternately in glass jar(s). Boil remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5-7 minutes. Pour over eggs and cover completely. Any remaining vinegar mixture may be used to cover cucumbers. Seal jars. Chill 3 days. Keeps 2-3 weeks in refrigerator.


Now I admit, the eggs are for hubby, I can't get the boys to even try them, but Ranger loves hardboiled eggs and can eat 5 or 6 at a time! 

Oh yes, my boys like to eat.  There are very few things that either one just won't eat.  What about you?  What are your go to budget meals? 

 

Sasquatch Surprise Using Leftovers

Every now and then I attempt to create a dish that our whole family will eat.  Tonight I used up some of the leftover Christmas turkey. 


Ingredients

1 medium onion

olive oil

2 cups leftover, coarsely chopped turkey

2 cups cooked rice

1 cup mixed vegetables

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup Velveeta cheese

1/2 cup milk

1 Tbsp butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Saute onion in oil until tender, add turkey and cook until heated through. Add velveeta and cook on low until melted. Stir in cooked rice and mixed vegetables. Stir in milk and butter. Top with shredded cheese and bake at 375 degrees until cheese is melted.


I did forget to snap a quick picture, but take my word for it, it was tasty!

Can you guess who named tonight's dish?



When we have leftover veggies, I dump them all into a baggie and keep in the freezer until I have enough to make a big pot of soup. 

What do you do with your leftovers?

Likes to mix all his food together on his plate

Likes everything separate

Happy Thanksgiving

We had the most beautiful full moon this morning.  It was quite incredible to face one direction and watch the sun rise and look the other way and see the gorgeous full moon.

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving.

God bless.

What Veteran's Day Means to a Child

I asked the boys what Veterans day means to them.  Maverick quickly said it is about celebrating veterans who come to his school and tell them how the wars went.

Ranger felt it was to celebrate veterans who defended our country

This week their school was able to have a blackhawk helicopter land on school property and the children were given the opportunity to get in and look around.  They had an assembly in which local veterans talked to the students.

Earlier in the 9 weeks, the students were presented with plastic dog tags as awards for reaching their reading (AR) goals.  The boys have worn their dog tags daily.

Many children idolize "army" guys which in my children's view is all encompassing of all branches of military.  My boys get out in the yard and play good guys and bad guys and the good military guys always win.

As a Mother, it is important for me to be honest with my children.  I don't like to sugarcoat things for them.  I want my boys to know why Veteran's Day is important and what it means to be a veteran. 

To me, Veteran's Day means never forgetting and teaching our future generations to always remember. 

Veterans have heard, seen, and lived through things we only see in the movies.  Let's keep them in our thoughts and prayers.  Always.

Local veterans

God bless

August 25, 2010

Dill Pickles

Who doesn't love a crisp, homemade dill pickle?  My boys eat them by the jar-full!  Unfortunately my long row of cukes didn't produce like I had hoped, but I did get several jars squirreled away.  And I must admit, I did cheat and use a mix once or twice.  But we all much prefer the homemade ones!

Ingredients:

10 pounds of pickling cukes

5 cups white vinegar

13 cups water

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup pickling salt

fresh dill heads

Wash your cukes well and leave them in a sink of cold water.  Have your jars, lids, and rings hot.  Mix vinegar, sugar, water, and salt and bring to a simmer.  Add one large or two small dill heads to each jar.  Pack the jars with whole small cukes, or sliced large cukes.  Carefully fill the jars with the vinegar mix.  There's a product called pickle crisp that I've used this year, but can't really tell a difference with it.  I rarely put my pickles in a hot water bath because they normally seal themselves.  However, for safety reasons, it is recommended to put the jars in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. 
 
If you want, you can add whole garlic cloves or red peppers to the jars.  I've used this brine mix to pickle eggs, make squash pickles, and even pickled cauliflower!
 
Enjoy!
 
Maverick loves his pickles....
 

Squash pickles, dill pickles, and salsa in the background

Pickled eggs

Mustard Sauce Recipe

This recipe is my Grandmother's sister, my Aunt Bobbi.  It's easily adaptable, too.  I love it on grilled burgers or hot dogs.  It's great on white beans and I even dumped a jar of it in the crockpot and threw in some chicken for several hours.

Mustard Sauce




25-35 hot banana peppers

4-6 jalapeno peppers

6 cups sugar

1 quart yellow mustard

1 quart white vinegar

3 onions, chopped (use as much as you like)

1 tbsp. salt



Chop onions into small pieces. Wearing gloves, remove stems and seeds from all peppers and chop into small pieces. Add all ingredients together in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook for about 30 minutes longer until peppers and onions are tender. Add ½ cup water and ½ cup flour together, along with a couple spoons of the hot mixture. Add to the pot and cook for 10 minutes longer. Have jars, lids and rings hot in boiling water. Fill jars and put in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, covered. This makes about 10 ½ pints. Remove and place on a dish towel. They usually all seal in approximately 30 minutes.