>My entire family was home and awake Saturday morning. La Petite was up earlier than usual to babysit for her adorable cousin, Amigo was home from school and had no Forensics meet or sporting events, and both Chuck and I were up and at ’em. Having everyone here at once is a big enough deal that I baked. I love to bake, and I like cooking brunches, but we never seem to have the right occasion to celebrate with a brunch or breakfast. This time, I picked a muffin recipe to treat the entire family.
Category Archives: kitchen stories
>Mac and Cheese Bake
>
Incredibly Delicious Mac & Cheese Bake
1 can condensed cream of chicken (or celery or mushroom) soup
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella
1 package (16 ounces) macaroni, any shape. I used elbow mac.
1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water. Drain.
2. In a separate bowl, mix condensed soup, cheeses, and milk. Stir in cooked pasta. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Cover.
3. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Add-ins are good. I added 1/2 cup of diced ham, 1/2 cup frozen peas, and a handful of fresh basil. Sprinkle it with ground pepper and serve!
>Election Day and Homemade Bread
>Today is a major election in my neighborhood and state. Yes, I know, it’s April. It’s not a presidential year, either. In fact, it’s not even a Senate or Congressional election. Trust me, folks, in Wisconsin this is big.
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1-1/2 cups water (add more if dough is too dry in 1 tbs increments)
3 Tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups white bread flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Place all the ingredients in the pan, using the least amount of liquid and adding more if needed, as seen below. Set for 1 1/2 lb. loaf. Select Medium or Light Crust, Wheat course, and press start. Tip: Stay home and enjoy inhaling the lovely aroma of baking bread.
Observe the dough as it kneads. After 5 to 1- minutes, if it appears dry or stiff, or if the machine sounds like it’s straining to knead it, add more liquid 1 Tablespoon at a time until dough forms a smooth, soft, pliable ball that is slightly tacky to the touch. Tip: put a little hot water in the honey-coated measuring cup and use this for the additional water, as needed.
>Southwestern Beef
>I haven’t tasted this yet; it’s simmering in the slow cooker right now, even while you read this. Normally I test recipes before I post them, but the meat was still a solid block from the freezer yesterday.
>Gumbo!
>I saw a recipe for vegetable gumbo on a wellness page, and (of course) with just a few modifications, we had gumbo for supper. I’ve made gumbo before, and I’ve even posted recipes for gumbo and jambalaya in the past. I was especially proud of creating this batch with ingredients we already had in the house. Stock the pantry and freezer well, and it’s easy to cook from scratch.
2 1/2 Tablespoons paprika
2 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
1 Tablespoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1 Tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Store in a tightly covered jar. Yields 2/3 cup.
>Spring Kick Off Blog Hop: Easy Rhubarb Cake
>Spring – yes, I’m a bit obsessed with watching the snow melt. Just like a pot boiling, it doesn’t go any faster with me staring out the window. But since Nina and Sarah at Recipe Lion had a February theme of Winter Warm-ups, they decided to think positive thoughts and celebrate March with this theme: Favorite Spring Recipes.
>Green Bean Casserole
>It’s better than you think. This one’s from Alton Brown. I found this make-it-from-scratch recipe for green bean casserole on (are you ready for this?) Swagbucks TV. I was earning a few Swagbucks watching their Food videos and saw this one. I called Chuck over to watch it, too, and we decided to try it. The recipe calls for a large cast iron skillet, but I used my Dutch oven.
>Pan Fried Cod with Peppers
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Chuck created this recipe based on something he found in the book Dining on the Pacific. He changed the recipe enough to be called his own. He’s a great cook; I’d love to see him take over the kitchen, but then who would make sure all the Packers specialty shows were on the air? Never mind.
Here it is!
Pan Fried Cod with Peppers
Topping:
2 tablespoons of Crisco Extra Virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic minced
1 small can of minced clams, drain out and reserve the liquid
1 small yellow onion chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 green pepper chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with lime juice & cilantro
Pepper to taste
Preheat oil in a 3 qt saucepan. Add onion and begin to sauté. Sprinkle in sugar and garlic when onion begins to turn opaque. Sauté for another 2 minutes or until onions just begin to carmelize, being careful not to burn garlic. Add peppers and tomatoes. When peppers begin to soften, add clams without the liquor. Stir, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Just before serving, stir in 2 tablespoons of the clam liquor. (This helps prevent the liquor from curdling and will begin to add some saltiness to the topping.) Add pepper to taste.
Fish
1 ½ to 2 pounds of Cod fillets, washed and dried. (About 6-8 pieces.)
2/3 cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon McCormick’s ground paprika
1/8 teaspoon McCormick’s ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Crisco vegetable oil
Thoroughly combine all dry ingredients in a storage sized Ziploc bag.
Preheat oil and butter in a skillet.
Place two fillets at a time into bag and shake them until well coated.
Place the fillets into the hot skillet and pan fry until golden brown, turning once to do other side.
Continue until all fillets are done.
When removing from skillet, place fillets onto a plate with a paper towel to drain any excess oil.
Serve fish on a bed of rice with a generous portion of topping spooned over it. Serves 4.
>Potluck with the Geeks
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Fruit salad:
>Yet another Basic Bread Recipe
>I feel like I can never have too many options for baking bread. Lately I’ve made at least one loaf a week, sometimes two. Home made bread makes my toast and sandwiches so much better than factory-produced loaves. Since I use a bread machine, I can accomplish this task even when I’m having a difficult day with fatigue or headaches. Just throw in the wet ingredients, then the dry, topped by the yeast. Here’s my new one that (sort of, you know me) came with the new bread maker.