Oatmeal Cookies - Just Like Grandma Made Them

For starters, you know it has been too long since you have last blogged when you log in and the entire interface has changed and you spend five minutes trying to find the "create a new blog" button.  And for that, I apologize....mostly to myself....for not taking over my kitchen for the past couple months.

But on to more important things.  I like cookies....A lot.  And since these are packed full of oatmeal, they are quite healthy (I'm going to continue telling myself that).  They are even suitable for breakfast with a big glass of milk.   A couple weeks ago, I was cleaning and I found the old cookie jar from my grandparents kitchen and, I decided that I needed some oatmeal cookies.  It took a while to make these cookies because hunting down the recipe proved to be a bit of a challenge.  But, I have it now,   and these cookies are just as good as I remember them!


Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe from Grandma F.
1 c. butter softened
2 eggs lightly mixed
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 T. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 c. regular oats
1 c. chopped pecans (one of the few cookies where I leave this part in)

Cream butter.  Add eggs, then sugar and vanilla.  Mix dry ingredients together and add to butter.  Add oats and nuts.

Form into two logs and wrap in wax paper.  Chill overnight (or at least for a few hours) until firm. 

Slice thin and bake at 350 for 12 minutes until golden brown.

quiche -- or kwitchy if that's what you want to call it

Prepare yourself for this stupid moment from my childhood.... 

When I was little, I thought "quiche" was pronounced more like "kwitchy" and I have yet to hear the end of it.  It's not really a phonetic word so I still don't think it is that ridiculous, but they certainly think it is funny. 

I really like this meal since you can throw anything you like in with some eggs and it's easy....

Asparagus & Red Pepper Quiche
1 pie crust in a pie pan (I used a pre-made one)
6 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/2 red pepper chopped
1/2 lb. asparagus chopped
1 c. mozzarella grated
1 c. cheddar grated
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 dash Worcestershire

whisk it all together and pour into pie crust.
Bake at 350 45-50 minutes. Cover crust edges if they start to brown to quickly. 

The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread: Fresh Baked Slice-it-Yourself Bread

I always thought bread was much more difficult than it actually is.  For some reason my sister and I bake the same things at the same time.  One of us just gets around to blogging about it first.  The other day she mentioned that  she acquired the bread machine.  Since she moved my parents bread machine across the country and unfortunately it was not one of our wedding presents, I had to make bread the old-fashioned way.  With my hands.  I don't have any special recipes to share with you today - just wanted to share that it's really easy - and tastes pretty good compared to Wonderbread.

Cake that's good for you: Angel Food

Good for you might be a stretch, but it's mostly egg white.  And if an egg white omelet can be good for you, why can't a cake made of egg white be good for you, too??  That should make you feel better about eating a lot of it all at once.

I'll confess.  I haven't made a lot of cake from scratch.  But I was craving angel food and thought I might try it.  Google led me to Alton Brown's recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cake flour, sifted
• 12 egg whites (the closer to room temperature the better)
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon orange extract, or extract of your choice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor spin sugar about 2 minutes until it is superfine. Sift half of the sugar with the salt the cake flour, setting the remaining sugar aside.
In a large bowl, use a balloon whisk to thoroughly combine egg whites, water, orange extract, and cream of tartar. After 2 minutes, switch to a hand mixer. Slowly sift the reserved sugar, beating continuously at medium speed. Once you have achieved medium peaks, sift enough of the flour mixture in to dust the top of the foam. Using a spatula fold in gently. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.
Carefully spoon mixture into an ungreased tube pan. Bake for 35 minutes before checking for doneness with a wooden skewer. (When inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall, the skewer should come out dry).

My Favorite Snack!

It's a quiet weekend.  I was home sick most of this week with a sinus infection and respiratory infection.  I'm getting better with copious amounts of antibiotics and rest, but still relaxing this weekend. 
While relaxing and channel surfing, I found the old version of Footloose.  My favorite thing with a movie is a snack.  And my favorite snack is salty, buttery, and delicious. 

1 stick of melted butter in a 9x13 pan
2 T of Worcestershire sauce
1 T seasoning salt
1 box of Crispix cereal

Mix it all together.  Microwave for 7 minutes stirring every 2.  And there you have it....A delicious, salty, buttery snack.

Meatballs....The Perfect Food For Any Occasion

Meatballs are so versatile.  They can be homey comfort food.  They can be fancy (i.e., served on a toothpick at a cocktail party). They can be Swedish.  They can be Italian.  You can make them from any type of meat (or even vegetarian).  You can add any seasoning you like.  You can follow a recipe.  Or you can just go with the flow and use what sounds good at the moment (that's more my style).


Two meals are on the menu this week with these meatballs: spaghetti and meatballs and meatball pizzas.  (Pictures of those will come with those meals - but for now, I'll focus on my make-ahead-meatballs)

As I mentioned, you can do whatever you want with a meatball.  The base: meat, breadcrumbs, and egg.

For these, I used Colosimo's skinless Italian sausage, ground beef (about three-quarters of a pound of each), salt and pepper, about a cup of breadcrumbs, two eggs, garlic powder, basil, oregano, and a handful of Parmesan cheese.

Mix it all up....getting my hands all slimy and gooey isn't my favorite part, but if you take the meat out of the refrigerator for a little bit to warm it up so it doesn't freeze your hands, it's a little bit better.  I usually forget that part until I'm in the middle of it with icy cold fingers.

Form meatballs and place them on a baking sheet.  If you want all of the grease to drain out, you can put it on a wire rack on the baking sheet. 

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes depending on how big you made your meatballs.  And then enjoy!  I'm already looking forward to spaghetti and pizza this week.

New Year's Corned Beef & Cabbage

Happy New Year! 

This has been a great weekend.  I haven't had to do anything at all.  I'm not completely lazy....I've just been extraordinarily busy lately....and because of that I have taken a great deal of pleasure in my lack of obligation for the weekend.  Lots of sleep and a good book keeping me company has turned into a good couple days....and I have one more tomorrow! 

But on to the cooking...

For as long as I can remember, my family has had corned beef and cabbage on New Year's Day (St. Patrick's Day, too).  It's an Irish tradition to have corned beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes to bring good luck and prosperity in the new year.  So continuing in my family's Irish tradition, I got up early to make corned beef this morning.

I happened to find a recipe for crock pot corned beef a while ago....and over the course of time (I am incapable of following a recipe) there have been a few adjustments.

Chop up a medium onion, about a pound of carrots, and about a pound of potatoes.  Put it all in the bottom of the crock pot.  Rinse of 2-4 pounds of corned beef (A big one is good if you like leftovers for sandwiches) and place on top of the vegetables fat side down.  Pour a 12oz beer (Today was an IPA and it was delicious, but you can use whatever you have handy or like best.) over the top of it.  Then take your seasoning packed from the corned beef and a couple tablespoons of mustard (I prefer spicy brown) and rub it over the top of the corned beef.  Final step is to mix about 1/4 cup of brown sugar with 1 cup of water and pour over the top.  I also like to sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar on top so it caramelizes a bit on top.

Then set that crock pot to low for 10-12 hours and let the delicious smells permeate the air....If you're anything like us, you'll get pretty impatient about 6 hours in so make sure you have a snack.  (Little fruit pies are good snacks.)  And then for the last hour, add cabbage to the top.

All that is left now is to enjoy....Hope you all have a great new year! 

Fruit Pie

As much as I like to cook, even I am surprised by this next fact.

I have never made a fruit pie...ever.

I love fruit pies....cherry, blueberry, peach, apple....you name it and I probably like it if it's fruit baked in crust.  I found this handy little tool to make mini-pie-pockets.  It's like your own homemade version of Hostess fruit pies!

Tonight I made cherry and apple pies to follow up the traditional corned beef new year dinner....blog on that coming soon.

In the cherries: pitted cherries, a little sugar, quick cooking tapioca, melted butter, vanilla, and almond extract.  Let it sit together for about 15 minutes.

For the apples: a sliced apple, a little sugar, melted butter, water, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

I cheated and used Pillsbury and then cut rectangles.

Put some filling into the pie press.

 

Put on a baking sheet and cut a couple slits in the top crust.  Brush with egg wash.  Sprinkle with some sugar....and some cinnamon on the apple if you'd like.

And then bake for 18-22 minutes at 400 degrees.  And eat!

It Goes Together Like Peas and Carrots

I am trying really hard to keep staples around so that at any given moment, we can make dinner without requiring a trip to the store.  There are a few things that are always on hand in our house and risotto is one of them.

I used to think risotto must be a difficult meal, but that isn't quite reality.  I think it's a great food and in about a half hour you can have an entire meal (even one that includes all four food groups).  It's one of the most versatile foods I know of.....good as a side....good as a meal....and you can throw almost anything into it. 

So after a long day at work, I started digging around and tonight the kitchen cabinets, freezer, and refrigerator provided me with chicken, peas, and carrots to put together a tasty one dish meal.

Risotto du Jour 
(All measurements are approximate - As I said, you can throw almost anything in)

2 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. chopped onion
1-2 cloves garlic minced
Saute for about 3-5 minutes until onions and garlic start to be clear.
1 c. risotto
Add to the pan and saute for another couple minutes.
3 c. chicken broth
Add one cup at a time until the liquid is absorbed.
1 c. peas
1 chicken breast cut and cooked
1 c. parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
a dash of cayenne
1 T oregano
Add the rest of the ingredients just before the last of the liquid has been absorbed and saute for a couple more minutes until the cheese melts.

Pumpkin Bars, A Fall Delight

As I may have mentioned before, fall is my favorite season.  And with fall, pumpkins start appearing everywhere.  I don't love (by don't love, I really mean hate) pumpkin in its more common dessert form, pumpkin pie.  But, I do love pumpkin bars.  I feel like I've eaten these every fall for as long as I can remember....all the way back to the Indiana days (I'm pretty sure this recipe came from one of my old neighbors).  For some reason I have two memories associated with these today.  1) My grandpa....for years he gave me a hard time because I only gave him a small piece to try because I wasn't sure if he'd like them.  And you would never want to waste these on someone who didn't like them for some crazy reason.  And 2) This old cat that lived in the woods.  Ralph was his name.  He was a sad cat missing a tail and ear and maybe even an eye. 

Now that I've shared that bit of odd cat nostalgia, I'll share the recipe for my favorite pumpkin bars.  Hopefully you enjoy them just as much as I do.

Pumpkin Bars
4 eggs
1 c. oil
2 c. sugar
1 c. pumpkin
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 c. flour
1 c. nuts (optional.....I always opt out, but if you like nuts, I guess that's fine, too.)

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a greased sheet cake pan.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Then you should have this:

Then, while they are cooling a bit, start working on the frosting:

3 oz. cream cheese
6 T. melted butter
3 c. powdered sugar

Mix and spread on the warm cake.

Oh and I remember something else.....don't forget the flour.  It doesn't turn out well.  And if you share relatives with me, you will never ever hear the end of it.

Dough Twice Tonight....Homemade Pizza on the Grill

The finished product.....Pretty delicious if I do say so myself....though I had to pick the pepperoni off my pieces

 Not so long ago, I went to Africa (and it was amazing and I want to go back--just saying).  On our way, we spent the night in New Jersey where I learned just how good grilled pizza can be.  It was the first time I'd ever had it and it's really good.  Crispy crust on the bottom, yet still a little chewy....perfect texture in my book....and for those of you who know me, texture is a big deal.

I tried pizza on the grill a few weeks ago and it was really good--however, I bought the dough from the pizza place by my house and they charged almost as much as a whole pizza would cost for the dough alone.  (And for the extra couple dollars, I should probably just have them make my pizza.)  So I have been keeping my eye out for pizza dough recipes.  And then my cousin happens to post about his homemade pizza so I borrowed his recipe tonight.  (I'll share it if he says it's okay -- but it's pretty standard: flour, salt, yeast, water, sugar, olive oil)

After I finished my apple dumplings, I started on the pizza dough.  It was pretty easy (my hands got a good workout from kneading the dough) and turned out great.

The ingredients

Half of the dough rising

The assembled pizza (sauce, cheese, minced shallot, red pepper, Italian sausage, and pepperoni) before putting it on the grill

Transfer the pizza onto the pizza stone that had been heating on the grill

After a few minutes on the pizza stone, pull it off and put it on the grate and cook for a few more minutes until it's finished to your liking

Apple Dumplings.....It's a Dumpling Day for the Family

There are a few things my grandma used to make....I remember "yay thick" meat (aka Swiss steak), chicken n' noodles, peach cobbler, stuffing balls, and apple pie or dumplings.  Today, I bring you apple dumplings.  My sister and I are on the same wavelength with food sometimes.  We seem to have the same things on our mind and make the same things and then one of us beats the other to a blog.  Today, S's blog brought apple dumplings to you first.  She inspired more than one person to make apple dumplings today--I came home and made some and my cousin also made them this evening.  That's two people--that's influence.

As you  may know, I like to cook.....quite a lot.  I like baked goods....quite a lot.  But, I don't bake all that much.  As scientific as I can be, it's so precise and I prefer throwing things together most days.  The thing that amazes me is that you can take a handful of ingredients, none of which taste good on their own (apples being the exception), and turn it into delicious.

I do like the results and I have to say that these are still delicious.  Try it....you just might like it.

APPLE DUMPLINGS

Recipe from Grandma

3-4 Apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)

 

Dough:

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

3/4 c. shortening

1/2 c milk (pour in all at once)

Mix it all together until it sticks

Sauce:

1/4 c. butter

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 c. sugar

2 c. cold water

Bring to a boil

Grab a little dough and put some apples in it.  Stretch the dough around the apples and put the dumpling in a pan.  Repeat until you have filled the pan.  Pour the sauce over the top and then bake at 375 for 35 minutes.

Peach Cobbler....Straight From My Grandma

There are few things that make me love summer (especially since I don't particularly love the hot temperatures) more than peaches.

I've had peach cobbler in my head for a few days now and ran into some ripe peaches today so I couldn't say no any longer.  I know there are probably a million recipes for this dessert (or breakfast if you so choose - it has fruit in it after all), but I love only one.  My grandma used to make this in the summer and to this day it's the only recipe I use.  

The Peaches - About 8 peaches sliced, 2 T. melted butter, 1 pinch of cinnamon, 1 pinch of nutmeg, and 1 T cornstarch mixed with 1/2 c. water

The Butter - 1/2 c. butter melted in a 9x13, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

The batter -- 1 c. milk, 1 c. sugar, 1 c. flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and a pinch of salt beaten until smooth

Pour the batter in the butter mixture

Pour the peaches on top of the butter and batter

Bake for 1 hour at 350  (knife test) -- And then you have bubbly, peachy, buttery, cinnamony deliciousness