Italian Shepherd's Pie

I love dishes that are quick, easy and anyone can make. Those are the main reasons I take complicated recipes and simplify them. There is no point in eating the same thing day after day because we feel things are too complicated to make. When I get bored with my food I find that is when I am most prone to over eat. I try to eat more to satisfy the cravings caused my flavor boredom. Italian Shepherd’s Pie is a very simple recipe that anyone can make and is full of flavor.

Italian Shepherd’s Pie

1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell
1 pound bulk sausage
1 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
1 ½ cups mashed potatoes (You may use leftovers or the pre-made mashed potatoes.)
¼ cup sour cream
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ - ¾ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Bake empty pie crust about 7 minutes until lightly browned.
Fry sausage and drain.
While sausage is frying mix together cottage cheese and egg in a mixing bowl. Then add mashed potatoes, sour cream, oregano, salt and pepper to the cottage cheese and egg mixture; mix well.
Place sausage in the pie crust.
Cover the sausage with cheese.
Pour mashed potato mixture over the sausage and cheese.
Cover the crust edge with a ring or foil. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

This pie is delicious with a sliced fresh tomato, cooked carrots and fried cabbage.

ENJOY!!!

Dixie Stampede Creamy Vegetable Soup

I love this recipe! Knowing the Creamy Vegetable Soup was always a highligh when attending Dixie Stampede. There were times I would consider buying a ticket to see the show just for the soup! I have simplified it down to the point that it only takes about 30 minutes to make start to finish.

Children like this soup too. This soup is so yummy my 18-month old acts like she can't get enough of it. I have had other children that refuse to eat vegetables say they love this soup.... until they found out vegetables were in it!

Dixie Stampede’s Cream of Vegetable Soup- Simplified

2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, green beans and carrots)
1 quart chicken broth
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

Fully cook all the vegetables. Drain most of the water off. Place the cooked vegetables into a food processor or blender and puree. Place the vegetable puree back into the pot. Add the chicken broth, garlic powder and onion powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add heavy whipping cream. Heat thoroughly and serve.

*This soup is wonderful with cheddar biscuits or if you want to try to go a little lower carb, top with real bacon bits and cheddar cheese.

Enjoy!

Red, White and Blueberry Pie

Every holiday deserves to be celebrated in it's own way.  Independence Day is a day all American's, by birth or by choice, should be thankful for and celebrate. Most American's host or attend a barbecue as part of their traditional 4th of July festivities complete with dessert.

Red, White and Blueberry Pie is a favorite in my home. It is simple to prepare and I haven't met anyone yet that didn't love it!

Happy Independence Day!

Red, White and Blueberry Pie

1 pie crust (traditional or graham cracker crust)
1 large box white chocolate pudding, prepared
2 ounces white chocolate, melted
Strawberries topped and cut in half
Blueberries

If you choose to use a traditional pie crust you must first bake the empty crust. Pour a thin layer of melted white chocolate into the bottom of the pie crust. Add white chocolate pudding on top of melted white chocolate. Arrange strawberries and blueberries on top the pudding. Chill for about an hour before serving. Enjoy!

French Toast Bread Pudding

My sweet girl and I love french toast, my husband not so much.  Surprisingly, he loves this recipe. He loves this recipe so much that recently, while we had company, I made it for the first time and he requested it the next morning too! This is a winner and oh so easy! What is also great about this recipe is that it can be prepared for baking the night before and popped in the oven in the morning.

French Toast Bread Pudding

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, not packed

French toast sticks, enough to cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan

1 cup of heavy cream

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup water

Fruit is optional

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch cake pan with brown sugar. (You may add sliced apples, pears, bananas, blueberries or strawberries on top of the sugar before adding the french toast sticks.) Lay the french toast sticks side by side on top of the brown sugar. In a bowl beat together the heavy cream, eggs, vanilla extract and water. Pour over the french toast sticks. Press sticks down to wet them thoroughly.

You may leave the unbaked French Toast Bread Pudding in the refrigerator over night for a creamier texture. If you choose to immediately bake the bread pudding the top of the sticks get crispy while the bottom is rich and creamy. We have had it both ways and we prefer to go ahead and bake it and not let it set over night.

Bake at 350 degrees F 30 to 40 minutes. Let the bread pudding stand for 10 minutes before serving. Top with your favorite syrup and enjoy!

Peach Strawberry Pie

I love the fresh fruits of summer. I often buy large quanities of fresh fruits and freeze or dry them to use year round. While cleaning out my freezer yesterday I found a bag of strawberries and a bag of peaches I had frozen last summer. Along with the fruits, I also found some deep dish pie crusts. What better combination could I have asked for?

One of the great things about the recipe is that even if you don't have access to the fresh fruits, you may use canned or frozen. I also make two pies at a time; I also do this with casseroles. This way I can bake one and put one unbaked back in the freezer to bake at a later time. This makes it very simple to pull a homemade meal together in a hurry.

Peach Strawberry Pie

2 1/2 pounds peaches, peel, pit and chunk
3 cups strawberries, sliced
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional but very good)
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter

2 deep dish frozen pie crusts
2 crust covers (I go the lazy way and buy the rolled up pie crusts to cover my pies if I am not making from scratch)

You may mix the 1st 8 ingredients in a bowl and pour into the pie crusts. (OR you can only pit the peaches and remove the stems from the strawberries. Add the 1st 8 ingredients into a blender and chop the mixture before adding to the pie crusts.) Cover the pie crusts with the top crusts. Cover the edges with pie rings or aluminum foil. Bake until golden brown. Enjoy! This is really good with vanilla ice cream.

Indoor Smores

What does a bag of marshmallows, a fork, a lighter, a jar of Nutella and a bag of marshmallows have in common? If you guessed a delicious variation of the smore made indoors you would be correct.

I love smores! When I am in the mood for smores I don’t want to have to go to the hassle of building a campfire and doing it the old fashioned way. Sometimes I don’t even want to go outside to get in the car and go to the store to buy the new microwavable smore; which I have not tried.

For years I have loved putting a marshmallow on a fork, setting it on fire, watching it burn out and then eating its gooey goodness. After the customary Memorial Day cookout complete with smores I thought I would try to make smores at home in my kitchen. Then my mind started working and wondering what variations of the standard smore I could make. There is always the option of flavored marshmallows, peanut butter, marshmallow crème, coconut, etc. The variations are endless.

For this recipe I simply take a graham cracker, smear Nutella on each half, put a marshmallow on a fork, set it on fire, let it burn itself out, place the burnt marshmallow on the Nutella smeared cracker  and most importantly- enjoy!

Strawberry Cheeseball

"Sometimes they're tiny, sometimes they're tall but friends are the 'berry' best people of all! ~Strawberry Shortcake

I grew up in a world of Strawberry Shortcake where friends were important. Even in the age of technology where the value of friends have been lessened and have been turned into a matter of convenience, I still value friendships. Letters are now be emails. Notes are now texts. It is the little things that we do because we care that maintains our friendships and means so much.

In my world food and friendship goes hand in hand. Holiday dinners where we all pitch in. Parties to celebrate successes. Dinners to celebrate promotions. Comfort foods when failure, loss and disappointments occur.

There are some foods that are good to share with friends anytime. A food I love to share with friends is strawberries. This time of year strawberries are ripe, sweet and plentiful. A sweet treat that I make using fresh strawberries to share with friends and neighbors is “Strawberry Cheeseball”. This sweet fruity treat is very simple to make, inexpensive and enjoyed by all (in my experience anyway).

I hope you and your friends enjoy!

Strawberry Cheeseball
Soften 16 ounces of cream cheese and ½ cup of butter, mix well. Mix in 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and ¾ cup of powdered sugar. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Fold in 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries.

This is the part where you can be versatile.

-You may put the mixture in a bowl in the fridge for an hour and let it set up so you may roll it into one large ball. Roll the large cheeseball in crushed graham cracker crumbs. An easy way to cover the large ball with graham cracker crumbs is to pour the crumbs in a deep bowl or cake pan. Place the large cheese ball in the center of the crumbs and lightly toss the crumbs around to coat the ball.


-After refrigerating the mixture, you may use a cookie dough scoop to make small balls before rolling in crushed graham cracker crumbs. An easy way to cover the small balls with graham cracker crumbs is to pour the crumbs in a deep bowl. Place the small cheese ball in the center of the crumbs and lightly toss the crumbs around to coat the ball.

-After mixing, you may pour the mixture into a graham cracker crust and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs before refrigerating. It is really cute to use the small graham cracker crusts and makes for easy serving at a large gathering.

- You may store the mixture in a covered bowl and use to dip graham crackers or animal crackers into it for a yummy treat.

Chocolate-fruit cups

I have been procrastinating writing another blog entry for whatever reason I could conjure up. Today I received an email from one of my friends saying she missed my blog. Really? Wow! I have been busy writing but for a different reason. I have been writing stories for my sweet little girl.

We officially ended the sugary sweet candy season with the Easter holiday. During the holidays beginning last fall up until Easter I noticed in the mall’s candy shops some of the prices on some of their sweet treats. Five dollars for a single piece of candy! Yes really.

While strolling through one particular sweet treat shop I noticed tiny chocolate baskets filled with berries and chocolate covered. This was the five dollar treat. I thought there must be something under the berries that made it special or different. My curiosity got the best of me and I decided to purchase one of these sweet fruity treats. I chose the blueberry chocolate basket.

I start breaking the chocolate away from the top of the berries. I ate the mediocre chocolate and fed my sweet girl the blueberries. Was there anything special about this cup? Nope.

The wheels in my head started to turn. I went to the store and purchased strawberries, blueberries and melting chips. I tried the whole little basket candy mold idea and that was a disaster. I would make six baskets and on a good batch only one would come out without cracking and then I would break it somehow. I then decided to buy holiday themed cupcake wrappers.

I placed the cupcake wrappers in a muffin pan, stacked the berries in the wrapper, melted the chocolate, filled zip-loc bags with the melted chocolate, made a tiny hole in the bag and piped the chocolate over the berries. That simple, cost much less and just as good if not better than the five dollar piece I bought.

The only problem I had with the fruit choices I made was with the strawberries. When I added chocolate over the strawberries, the sugar in the chocolate started working with the sugar in the strawberries and it made a syrup. If you do decide to use strawberries, I would suggest make them the day you want to eat them. The blueberries held up well. I also think raspberries, cranberries and pomegranate arils.

I hope you enjoy!

Saint Patrick's Day Menu

I love the holidays, all of them. I also love researching holiday recipes, planning menus and preparing holiday dishes.

This year I decided to prepare a complete Irish meal. I didn’t want to prepare a meal of cabbage and corned beef. I wanted to make something more, something a little different.  There is no better way to enjoy a meal than to share it with friends.  I love all my “guinea pigs” that are always so willing to try my newest recipes.

The Irish recipes I made tonight are listed below.  I prepared a mixed drink too but I do not think it is sharing worthy. All of the recipes are very simple and are full of flavor. I hope you enjoy as much as we did.

• Appetizer:

Cheddar Triangles

1-3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 stick butter, cut into small pieces

6 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup cold water

2 tablespoons white vinegar

coarsely ground black pepper

Oven 375F

I always use my food processor when preparing recipes that require fine chopping or shredding. It is so much easier and less time consuming.

In a food processor, mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add the butter and process until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in cheese, water and vinegar until mixture forms a soft dough. Form it into a ball, wrap it in cellophane and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Divide dough into 4 sections. On a floured board, roll each section into a paper thin circle, trimming the edges. Sprinkle with pepper and press it firmly into the dough. Cut each circle into 8 wedges, place on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until crisp. Do not over cook. Cool on wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Serve with your favorite dip. Yield: 32

•  Main Dish:

Chicken and Ham Pie

4 tablespoons unsalted Kerrygold Irish butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup half-and-half or light cream

1/4 cup chopped onion

4 ounces white mushrooms, sliced

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup cooked chicken, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup cooked ham, diced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, left at room temperature for 30 minutes

1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until blended with the butter. Add the stock or broth and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken. Stir in the half-and-half, onion, mushrooms, peas, and parsley, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are nearly tender. Add the chicken and ham and season with salt, and pepper. Spoon the mixture to the prepared dish.

Unfold the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a circle 12 inches in diameter. Place the pastry over the chicken mixture, trim, and crump the edge. Brush the pastry with egg wash, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden. Remove the pie from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack before serving. Serves 6

• 2 sides:

Champ

4 lb Potatoes

1/2 lb Chopped scallions

10 fl Milk

4 oz Butter

Pepper

Directions:

Champ is served piled high on the dish, with a well of melted butter in the center. It is eaten with a spoon from the outside, each spoonful being dipped in the well of melted butter.

Peel potatoes and cook in boiling water. Simmer milk and scallions together for five minutes. Strain potatoes and mash thoroughly. Add hot milk, and the scallions, salt and pepper, and half the butter.

*You can also use microwave packages of mashed potatoes and add chives before serving.

Fried Cabbage

2 teaspoons butter

1 (15 ounce) can chicken broth

1 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped

1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.Bring the butter and chicken broth to a boil in a large skillet. Reduce heat to low and add the cabbage. Cover and cook over low heat to steam the cabbage for about 45 minutes, stirring frequently, or until cabbage is tender and sweet. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

• Dessert:

Chocolate Pots with Irish Cream Liquer and Irish Lace Cookies

10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cup heavy cream

2 eggs

2 tablespoon Irish Cream flavored syrup

Directions:

Over medium heat, heat cream to almost boiling. Combine cream with chocolate and blend until chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the egg and Irish Cream flavored syrup and blend again until smooth. Pour into eight ramekins and chill for 4 hours. Serve with Irish Lace Cookies. Serves 8.

Irish Lace Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup McCann’s Quick Cooking Irish Oatmeal

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, cream, corn syrup, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour, oatmeal, and salt. Beat together until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto waxed paper, shape into a ball, and chill for 30 minutes.

Shape the dough into approximately 12 one tablespoon balls. Place 3 balls on the baking sheet and flatten with your palm. Bake until golden brown and “lacy,” about 10 minutes. Cool for at least 2 minutes before removing with a spatula (cookies are delicate and must harden slightly before being removed). Repeat, 3 cookies at a time. Makes 12 cookies.

Parmesan Chicken and Campfire Potatoes

Chicken is a very versatile meat that most people like prepared in some way. Finding a full flavored yet simple chicken dish can sometimes be a challenge. Many recipes require marinating and homemade sauces that require many different spices that you may not have in your cabinet because this would be the only time you use them.

I despise having to buy an entire bottle of spice that I use for one recipe and not sure if I will even like the dish when prepared. I prefer to use common spices that I use in many dishes with a combination of other spices.

A very simple full flavored chicken dish is Parmesan Chicken. A person without any cooking experience can prepare this dish and be able to impress company.

Parmesan Chicken
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 teaspoons. Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Combine mayonnaise and cheese. Spread on chicken breasts, then sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown.

I served the Parmesan Chicken with carrots cooked in chicken broth and Campfire Potatoes. Campfire Potatoes are a favorite of Philip’s and thankfully another very simple dish.

Campfire Potatoes

5 medium potatoes, chunked
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons parsley
¾ teaspoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
¼ cup butter, dotted

Place potatoes on aluminum foil or in baking dish; sprinkle with cheese and spices; dot with butter. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil or seal the aluminum foil packet. Place potatoes in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  The foil packet may also be made on the grill.

Don’t expect leftovers after this meal!

Pan Fried Tilapia

Fish is one of those foods that Philip nor I grew up eating unless it was in the form of a stick or patty and occasionally from Long John Silvers. Some people I know people that complain cooking fish makes their home stink. Others are afraid of cooking fish dishes for fear it is too delicate or complicated

A very simple tilapia dish I make on a regular basis is Pan Fried Tilapia. The first time I made it Philip was hesitant to try it because of the lemon butter sauce on the fish but once he did he loved it!

Pan-Fried Tilapia

4 tilapia fillets
3 Tablespoons of flour
4 Tablespoons of butter
3 Tablespoons lemon juice or lime juice
1 Tablespoon parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking oil

Mix flour, salt and pepper. Dust fillets with flour mixture. Sauté fish in oil until nicely browned and cooked through. When done, remove Tilapia, drain oil, add lemon juice, butter and parsley. Whisk to blend until heated. Pour over Tilapia and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Virgin Mudslide

One of my all time favorite mixed drinks is a Mudslide. I am a sucker for chocolate, hazelnut and ice cream. Put those three together and I am one happy lady. I have been tweaking a Virgin Mudslide recipe to make it exactly what Philip and I would enjoy.

The recipe is very simple and easy to make. It is very easy to make this drink pretty. Best of all, everyone, children included, can enjoy this recipe. I hope you enjoy.

Virgin Mudslide
Serves 4

1 quart vanilla ice cream
½ cup cold coffee
1 teaspoon hazelnut syrup
½ cup chocolate syrup
1 ½ cups milk
Whipped cream
cherry

Pour all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. In a wine glass swirl chocolate syrup around the inside of the glass. Pour the Mudslide into the glass. Top with whipped cream and a cherry. *You may use chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla for a more chocolate flavor.

Virgin Strawberry Daiquiris

Everyone loves a celebration. The food. The music. The decorations. The atmosphere. The drinks. Yes, the drinks. Ah, the taste of something different and as special as the occasion itself.

Most often people think of celebrating with alcohol. When planning a celebration, I focus on finding a drink that compliments the food, tastes good, out of the norm and dare I say it…. non alcoholic.
In our home we do not drink. Philip is a recovering alcoholic. He is two years sober and I am so proud of him. I will not stop celebrating but I will find ways to celebrate sober so everyone, children included can celebrate too.

I love a mixed drink as good as the next person. There are many ways to make virgin mixed drinks for everyone to enjoy at celebrations.  The other night I decided I would make Strawberry Daiquiris. These Strawberry Daiquiris are delicious and I highly recommend them.
　
Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri
1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, hulled
1 cup white sugar
¼ cup lemon juice
3 cups lemon-lime soda, chilled
16 ice cubes

Blend until smooth strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, chilled lemon-lime soda. Then add ice cubes and blend until smooth. Makes 4.

The strawberries may be substituted ...for 1 1/2 cups of sliced peaches.

I will eventually post more of my favorite non-alcoholic drink recipes. What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink recipe?

2011 Valentine's Day Dinner

This year I cooked Valentine’s Day dinner at home due to Philip’s crazy work schedule. I love cooking at home and he doesn’t seem to mind either.

I have two basic rules when cooking. One, don’t try to reinvent the wheel. I try to simplify recipes to fit our busy life. I don’t want to work myself to death to achieve the same result I could have achieved an easier way. My second rule is to never try to cook a food I am completely unfamiliar with in my kitchen before trying it at a restaurant. Philip nor I have ever eaten lamb… yet. As tempting as it is to purchase a rack of lamb and attempt it at home, I will not do that. For lamb to be our main course and neither of us know if we like lamb does not make sense for me to prepare lamb at home. When preparing a holiday, themed, or ethnic menu I don’t want to run the risk of ruining the entire meal by preparing a completely unfamiliar main dish. If I can’t resist the temptation to prepare a completely unfamiliar main dish I will scale it down to appetizer portions and serve as the appetizer.

Once a friend told me that the dishes I cooked sounded too complicated for him to eat. He came to the house a few times and had dinner with us and found that only the name of the recipe was complicated. Don’t let a name of a recipe discourage you from trying it.

Valentine’s Day dinner was very simple. This was our menu:

Appetizer: Parmesan Laceys
Bread: French Bread
Main: Black Peppercorn Pork Tenderloin with Peach Preserve Sauce
Sides: Cooked Carrots and Ricotta Mashed Potatoes
Dessert: Black Mousse Tie Cake
Drink: Sparkling White Grape Juice

I hope you enjoy these recipes!

Appetizer: Parmesan Lacys

6 ounces Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated (1 1/2 cups) I purchased a pre-shredded bag from the grocery store.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line large cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Drop level tablespoons Parmesan 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet; spread to form 2-inch rounds. Bake Parmesan rounds until edges just begin to color, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer crisps, still on aluminum foil, to wire rack; cool 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining Parmesan.
　
　
　
Drink: Sparkling White Grape Juice

We do not drink alcohol so I find alternatives to drink that is more festive that soda, water, tea or coffee. For this menu I purchased a bottle of sparkling white grape juice at the grocery store.

Main: Black Peppercorn Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Peach Preserves Sauce

This is where I saved a lot of time and money. I had the recipe to make this from scratch but when I went to the grocery store I found pork tenderloin in a package already flavored with black peppercorn for much less than I was going to spend on a pork tenderloin and prepare it myself not to mention the time spend preparing it. Follow the directions on the pork tenderloin package.

The peach preserves sauce is very simple. In a small pan add ½ cup of peach preserves and 1 cup of water. Heat to a boil and stir to dissolve the preserves leaving only peach chunks in the syrup.

Slice the pork tenderloin and place on plates. Spoon peach preserves sauce over meat.
　
Sides-2: Ricotta Mashed Potatoes

Once again I was pressed for time. Rather than going to the trouble of making homemade mashed potatoes I purchased a package of microwave mashed potatoes. I prepared according to the directions and then added 1 cup of ricotta cheese to the mashed potatoes and blended well. Salt and pepper to taste.

Side 2- Cooked Carrots

Cooked carrots are a family favorite. I purchase a small bag of baby carrots. Place the carrots in a kettle and cover with water. Add 2 chicken bullion cubes to the water and boil until tender. *You may use canned chicken broth instead of water and bullion.

Bread: French Bread

While at the grocery store I went ahead and purchased a loaf of French bread. What took me 3 minutes to purchase would have taken me 3 hours to bake.

Dessert: Black Mousse Tie Cake

This dessert is wonderful! In a previous blog I posted the recipe for this cake. This is the time consuming recipe but well worth it. Expect 1 solid day to prepare this cake or 2 days of working on it intermittently.

I hope you enjoy this menu as much as we did. What did you serve for Valentine’s Day?

Cheddar Vegetable Chowder

I once read that the average American family cooks ten different meals. I decided then that our house would not be average. Luckily that is one of the things Philip loves about me. He likes that I cook a wide variety of dishes and I am always looking for a new dish to make.

At the same time that Philip loves the fact that I am always cooking something new and different, in the beginning I got some unexpected reactions from him. A few of his responses have consisted of, “What is that?”, “It’s green!”, “You want me to try what?”  The great thing is that even after his response he has enjoyed ninety percent of the dishes.

Many of the new recipes I find are quite complicated and time consuming. I like most women do not have the time to spend hours in the kitchen every day. If I can simplify a recipe so that I am not reinventing the wheel, I will. I want to help others eat a variety of dishes that are good, easy and not time consuming.
One of our favorite soups is Cheese Vegetable Chowder. This was the soup I prepared when Philip said “It’s green!” That has not stopped him from requesting this soup time and time again. 

With St. Patrick’s Day one month from today I am beginning to plan my menu. I always plan special meals in advance. I haven’t decided if I am going to go more traditional Irish recipes or if I am going to go with a green food menu.

I am sharing the Cheese Vegetable Chowder recipe with you. It does turn green from the spinach in the soup. A green soup deters most people in the beginning but as a woman stood in my kitchen eating a bowl of the soup, she kept saying, “It’s green but it’s good!”

Cheese Vegetable Chowder
1 c. onions, chopped
2 c. water
2 tsp chicken bullion
3 c. chunked potatoes- may use frozen chunked potatoes
1 c. diced carrots- may also use frozen carrots or canned carrots
1 can corn, drained
1 can spinach, drained
4 c. milk
¼ c + 2 Tbsp flour
¾ tsp salt
Real bacon bits *see note at the bottom
Shredded cheddar cheese

Sauté 1 cup chopped onions in a small amount of oil.  Add 2 cups water, 2 teaspoon chicken bullion, 3 cups chunked potatoes, 1 cup diced carrots, 1 can drained corn, and 1 can drained spinach. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cook until vegetables are tender. Whisk 4 cups milk, ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, and ¾ teaspoon salt together. Add to the pot and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Top with real bacon bits and cheddar cheese.

*You may also cook 3 oz bacon until done, remove the bacon from the pot and sauté onions in the bacon fat. I use olive oil and Real Bacon bits to save time.

If there is a recipe that you would like for me to find and simplify please let me know. I love a new recipe and the challenge to simplify it for everyone’s use.

Kitchen Gadgets

I am a sucker for a kitchen gadget. There are a million different kitchen gadgets out there that does a single job. If we had every gadget shown on late night infomercials we would not have room in our kitchen to function. Narrowing down what I have to have and what I can live without is a difficult task.

The basics in my kitchen that I use regularly is of course a good set of pots and pans, non stick cake pans and cookie sheets (I have found that Better Homes and Gardens is the best!), a digital meat thermometer, a good mandoline, a pressure cooker, a mixer, a George Forman grill, an adjustable measuring spoon, an adjustable measuring cup, a food processor, a crock pot, a crescent pot strainer, and a good cutlery set. I can make do without anything else but all my other gadgets make cooking so much easier.

Other gadgets I enjoy using is my ice cream maker, bread maker, magic bullet, slap chop, whisks, apple peeler, apple corer/slicer, rolling pin and my list could go on and on.

Which kitchen gadgets do you feel you could not function without?

Beginnings and Black Mousse Tie Cake

I had contemplated beginning a blog for a while now. I guess today is the day I begin, so here I go.
This blog is meant for those that enjoy similar things I do so we can learn from each other. I don’t expect many readers but for those of you that do take a moment to read my blog I will be asking for advice, input, ideas, etc. to help start, work on or finish something I am working on. We all have something to learn from one another no matter how similar or different we may be.

When I taught 3rd grade I had a Mary Engelbreit poster on my wall that said, “Make the most of yourself for that is all there is of you.”  No matter now experienced we are at something, a fresh view point can help us to become a little better than we were before if we are willing to listen and consider the other view point.

For Valentine’s Day dinner I cooked at home. I decided for dessert I would prepare a copy cat version of Olive Garden’s Black Mousse Tie Cake. This was only the second time I had prepared this dessert. This dessert takes me two days to make. I would love to find a way to simple this recipe down more than I already have.

The recipe is as follows:

Black Tie Mousse Cake
Servings: 12

---Bottom Layer---
1 box Chocolate cake mix, devil's food

Mix cake according to directions. Pour a thin layer of batter into the bottom of a glass cake pan. Pour the rest of the batter into pans of your choice. My preference is to make muffins with the remaining batter to store in the freezer.

---Second Layer---
1 teaspoon Unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon cold water
2 tablespoons boiling water
4 ounces chocolate chips
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

Cut cream cheese into large squares and place in microwave safe bowl with chocolate chips. Microwave 1 minute and stir. Continue microwaving for 1 minute and then stirring until blended. Dissolve gelatin in cold water, then add boiling water. Let this cool while you start whipping the heavy cream and sugar. As cream starts to thicken, add gelatin. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Add 1/4 of the cream to the chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly. Then fold this into the remaining cream. Once you have completed spread onto cake and refrigerate.

---Third Layer---
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour, sifted
1 teaspoon Unflavored gelatin
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat egg yolks until pale. Add sugar, flour and gelatin, then beat until mixed. Bring cream and vanilla extract to a boil. Add a small amount of cream to egg mixture while stirring. Gradually add until all of the cream has been added. Continue to cook until custard begins to thicken. Cool slightly pour on top of chocolate mousse and freeze.

---Fourth Layer---
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
18 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Bring butter and cream to a boil. Add chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Let cool (slightly warmer than room temp) until it starts to thicken. Remove cake from freezer and pour the ganache evenly over the cake. Refrigerate the cake.

*You may save some of the ganache and use it to decorate the cake plate when serving. Leftover ganache also makes a wonderful hot chocolate.

Do you have any suggestions to simplify this recipe further than what I already have?  Some thoughts I had was to try canned chocolate frosting in place of the ganache. Instead of making the custard I thought about using French vanilla boil pudding. Do you think these ideas would work?