French Friday: Beaujolais Nouveau

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive!

The third Thursday of November is the official release of this fruity red wine.

Beaujolais Nouveau is made from Gamay grapes grown around Lyon, France. The grapes are harvested, fermented a short time (typically six weeks or so), and then shipped around the world.

Technically, the wine is not sold until 12:01am on the official date, creating quite a buzz of excitement for those who consider this a traditional start to the holiday season. I managed to score two bottles on Tuesday and quickly smuggled the contraband into the house before the wine police arrived.

A Homemade Christmas

I realize that Christmas has come and gone - but I wanted to share with you the gifts that I made for each of my girls:  my two daughters and my soon-to-be daughter in law.  Our family Christmas traditions are many and run deep - filled with lots of routines and favorite recipes.  I decided that I would create a scrapbook that preserved the top ten recipes that I make each year between Thanksgiving and New Years.

Each two page spread included the title of the recipe - the actual recipe itself written on a 3x5 index card and placed in a plastic sleeve that can be removed from the book and replaced - a photograph from years past that depicted our family celebrating the holidays - and a note that briefly told the background of certain traditions.

The project was more labor intensive than I had planned - but fortunately I started early enough that it did not prove too stressful to complete in time for Christmas morning.  I hand wrote each recipe (x3), created page layouts (x3), copied pictures (x3), and added decorative elements (x3).

In the end, I think the books were well-received and I hope that they will be used in years to come.

While we will most likely always have the Italian Christmas Eve vigil at our house (traditionally the feast of seven fishes but done Totoro style includes baked salmon - boiled shrimp - and plenty of snow crab) - my eldest has already claimed that Christmas day will be spent at her house so the grandbaby can enjoy her Santa gifts.  I don't blame her for wanting to adopt a new tradition - but I am a bit melancholy that our days of early Christmas morning risings accompanied with squeals of surprised glee are officially over.  It was a wonder 25 years of fond family memories.

Weekend Cooking: Bishop's Bread

Oh my --- it has been quite a while since I have participated in Beth Fish's weekly meme, although I try to read all the posts of those who faithfully contribute.

Since I am now officially on Christmas break, however, one of the first things that I want to do is reconnect with my blogging friends.  So I figured what better way to do that than to share a favorite holiday recipe with all my online readers.

Ever since I was a little girl I remember my mom making Bishop's Bread each December.  When I was about five years old I would "help" by cutting the cherries in half with a pair of scissors, and then cutting the dates into thirds.  My hands would be sticky and I am sure that I made more of a mess than I actually helped, but I fondly remember taking part in this Coleman tradition.

Photo courtesy of:  Tasting Spoons

My father loved Bishop's Bread, so Mom would always make two:  one for Christmas and one to freeze for my dad's birthday in February.  The bread is so dense that it freezes wonderfully and tastes just as good thawed two months later as it does fresh out of the oven.

I have no idea where Bishop's Bread originates.  I am sure that Mom found the recipe in a magazine - although the original source has been lost for quite some time now.  It is reminiscent of fruitcake, but make no mistake, this tastes like no fruitcake you have ever eaten.  The combination of dates, walnuts, candied cherries and chocolate chips, bound with just enough flour to hold it together, makes for an irresistible dessert or early morning pick-me-up with a strong cup of coffee.

I hope to make at least two loaves this week keeping the tradition of eating one now and freezing another for after the new year.  Should you decide to try this as well, please let me know how you what you think!

Bishop's Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking power
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 cups chocolate chips
• 4 cups chopped walnuts
• 1 pound chopped dates
• 1 pound halved candied cherries
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups sugar (*edit --- this was inadvertently omitted in the original post)
• 1/4 cup oil

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients:  flour - baking powder - salt
2. Add to the dry ingredients the chocolate chips - walnuts - dates - cherries
3. Toss together to thoroughly coat
4. In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and oil (*edited to include the sugar)
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir by hand until thoroughly mixed
6. Bake in two prepared 9x5 loaf pans in a 325 degree oven for approximately 1 hour

Weekend Cooking: Lemonade Pie

It is still the dog days of summer here in Kansas which means that the heat and humidity suck the energy out of every living thing.  This past week temperatures have hovered around the 100 degree mark, with heat indexes of 110 or above.  I am most grateful for central air conditioning!

Of course in weather like this, who wants to cook?  I tend to have the hubby grill steak (if it is on sale) and chicken on Sunday afternoons, and ensure that we have enough for weekday leftovers. Chicken salad, steak nachos, and a quick vegetable stir fry are menu mainstays.

I do have a sweet tooth, however, but have no desire to heat up the kitchen by turning on the oven.  We tend to eat a lot of ice cream during the month August, but every once in while I like to have something a little different.  That is where this recipe fits the bill:  it is an easy, no-bake pie that is light and refreshing --- the perfect accompaniment for any summer fare.

Lemonade Pie

Ingredients:

• 6 oz can lemonade concentrate - partially thawed (I like using pink for a nice festive color)
• 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 4.5 oz cool whip 
• 9" graham cracker pie shell (store bought if ideal for this hot weather)

Directions:

1. Whisk together lemonade concentrate with sweetened condensed milk.
2. Fold in cool whip
3. Pour into graham cracker crust
4. Chill at least one hour

This pie can easily be served as is, but if you desire to make it a bit more fancy, cut the pie in eighths and place a small dollop of cool whip in the middle of each slice.  Cut four thin slices of lemon (leave peel on) and then cut each slice in half.  Gently twist the lemon slice and place on top of the cool whip.  A quick, elegant, cool, delicious summertime dessert!

For other weekend cooking ideas, please visit this post by Beth Fish Reads.

Weekend Cooking: Coke Cake

Weekend Cooking is hosted each week by Beth Fish Reads.  It is a fun meme that provides great new recipes, cookbooks, and other foodie finds.  Follow the link to discover the new posts for this week.

Well, summer has arrived in the Midwest with a vengeance.  The weather forecast for the next seven days sounds like a broken record: excessive heat warnings with temperatures in the 90s and heat indexes hovering around 105 degrees!  It is the kind of weather that zaps the energy out of everyone.  Fortunately, I have central air conditioning and lots of books to help me through this difficult weather pattern.

While it is too hot to even think about cooking, I do often select one weekend day to grill chicken and steak on the barbie (well, I don't actually do the grilling...I delegate that responsibility to my hubby) and I always plan for extras to have on hand for salads for the rest of  the week.  I currently have chicken breasts marinating in  the refrigerator, and I will head out later today to purchase some steaks that happen to be on sale (the only time we ever eat steak, really, is when it is on sale).   We will also have corn on the cob, homemade ice cream (again - I just LOVE the stuff), and possibly Coke Cake.

I mentioned this family favorite a few weeks ago and there was some interest in the recipe, so I thought I would feature that today.  I really don't know the origins of this dessert, I just know that my mom has made it ever since I was little and it has remained a favorite for nearly five decades.  Some say that it is reminiscent of a Texas sheet cake, although I have not tried one of those to make the comparison.

Now this cake is loaded - I mean loaded - with sugar, so it is guaranteed to appease any sweet tooth you may have.  The high levels of sugar, coupled with the three sticks of butter, makes this a rich, decadent cake where a small piece can really go a long way.  However....somehow the cake never seems to last more than a couple of days around our household.

While the cake is fabulously rich, moist, and deletable on its own - you can really kick it up a notch and serve it warm with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream melting over the top.  Now that is heaven on a plate!

Coke Cake

(with a couple of adaptations from me)

Ingredients for cake:

• 1 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 jar marshmallow fluff (original recipe called for 1.5 cups chopped marshmallows)
• 1 cup Coke
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 2 eggs - beaten
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions for cake:

1. In a large saucepan, add the butter, cocoa, marshmallow fluff, and coke.  Bring to a boil and set aside to cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl, add the sugar and flour and toss together.
3. Pour the warm mixture over the dry ingredients and blend together.
4. Stir in the eggs, buttermilk, and soda until just incorporated into the batter (don't over mix)
5. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or so
6. Once cake is taken from the oven.....immediately prepare the icing.

Directions for icing:

1. In a saucepan, bring 1/2 cup butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, and 6 tablespoons Coke to a boil.
2. Boil for one minute and remove saucepan from burner.
3. Add a box of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
4. Pour icing over hot cake and let cool.

Weekend Cooking: Blueberry Picking

Weekend Cooking is hosted each week by Beth Fish Reads.  It is a fun meme that provides great new recipes, cookbooks, and other foodie finds.  Follow the link to discover the new posts for this week.

My sincere condolences to all of you who live on the East Coast.  It seems that you have been on the receiving end of our typical Kansas summers this week:  triple digit heat compounded by high humidity.  I wish I could say that I miss this weather (I do not), but I do realize that what goes around, comes around, and we will soon be in familiar weather patterns again.

In the meantime, Kansas and Missouri and nearly floating away, and this week's temperature in the 80s coupled with low humidity has been a nice change of pace.  Not to fear, however, as temps are to crawl back up into the 90s by Monday and I expect the humidity and heat index to follow suit.

 Having said all that - I must say that berry picking this week was a real treat - in more ways than one.  It had probably been nearly a decade since our family picked berries.  It used to be an annual event, but then kids grow up, they get busy, and such old-fashioned activities tend to take a backseat for awhile.  On Thursday, however, my eldest daughter and I went to our "old stomping ground" the Berry Patch in Cleveland, MO.  It was an overcast day, around 72 degrees, and with a constant cool breeze.  I have picked berries with sweat dripping off my nose, so I was more than happy to have this unique experience!

We didn't stay out long - and we didn't pick all that many berries (only about 5 pounds between us), but we had a great time!  It allowed me to once more pretend that I was farm girl - if only for an hour or so.  I must confess, however, that between my strawberry picking excursion and this one, I have had enough "living off the land" experiences to last me the rest of the year.  I am most definitely a suburban girl at the core!

While I absolutely love strawberry freezer jam, I do find blueberries to be more versatile than any other "pick your own" fruit.  They are bite-sized (no hulling or peeling or chopping necessary); you can easily pre-measure just picked berries into plastic baggies, put them directly into the freezer, and have them ready at your beck and call anytime the occasion arises.  It is THAT simple!  They keep throughout the winter and provide a sunshine surprise to any muffin or pancake on a snowy morning.

The Berry Patch is a family operation and each year they publish a newsletter with favorite recipes.  I have not tried many of them, but my favorite (and the easiest of all to prepare) is blueberry sauce that is delicious served over ice cream or cheescake.  The exact recipe cannot be found, it is essentially 2 cups of blueberries, sugar to taste (about 1/2 cup), a little bit of lemon juice (about 1 teaspoon), and some cornstarch for thickening (about 1-2 teaspoons).  Bring all ingredients to a boil; cool slightly; and serve.

But the recipe that I will choose to share today I adapted from my mom's 1960s recipe for peach cobbler (made from canned peaches of all things!)  This is NOT low cal or low fat or all natural, but it sure is good (especially served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream)

Blueberry Cobbler (adaptation)

Ingredients:

• 4-5 cups blueberries (depending on how many you have on hand, and how much you enjoy the berry flavor and consistency)
• 1 box Jiffy White Cake Mix (although probably any cake mix will do - it is just this package is smaller and I think works best)
• 1 stick melted butter

Directions:

1. Spray an 8x8 pan with Pan
2. Pour blueberries into prepared dish
3. Sprinkle white cake mix evenly over the top of the berries
4. Drizzle melted butter evenly over the cake mix
5. Bake at 350 for approximately 20-25 minutes (until bubbly)

That's it!  Easy - delicious - and with blueberries in your freezer, available to make any time of year.

Weekend Cooking: Versatile Muffins - Part 2

Weekend Cooking is hosted each week by Beth Fish Reads.  It is a fun meme that provides great new recipes, cookbooks, and other foodie finds.  Follow the link to discover the new posts for this week.

Having been inspired by Lakeside Kitchen's post a few weeks ago, I have focused my Weekend Cooking contributions to muffin recipes from my by-gone days of Molly the Muffin Lady.  I shared recipes for White Gingerbread, Cappuccino Chip, Banana Nut, and Basic Muffins that can be modified in several different ways.  This will probably be the last week of such posts, namely because I am afraid I have bored you with too much on the same topic, and also, because I am running out of the tried and true favorites.  I do have a couple of fallish muffin recipes, but I think I might wait to share those around Thanksgiving.

Today's recipe comes from the small cookbook, Muffins, Nut Breads and More by Katherine Greenberg and Barbara Kyte (copyright 1985).  I purchased this book sometime in the late 1980s, when Molly's Muffins was in its infancy.  I liked the premise of this book because it starts with a basic Quick Bread recipe that yields several batches of muffins.  You premix the dry ingredients and store them in an airtight container.  Once you are ready to prepare one batch of muffins, you measure 2 cups of the dry ingredients, add whatever spices or fillers you choose, moisten with wet ingredients, and bake.  It is that easy - that versatile - and that tasty.

Some of the ways you can modify this recipe to make a smorgasbord of muffins could be as follows (although please do not feel that you are limited to only these suggestions):

• add crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese for a savory muffin
• add grated carrot, orange zest and chopped pecans
• add grated zucchini, chopped walnuts and cinnamon
• add can of cranberry sauce (not jellied), chopped nuts, and orange juice (my favorite)
• add peanut butter chips and chocolate chips for a decadent dessert

Well, as you can tell, the possibilities are endless and only limited by your own imagination and ingredients on hand.  I would love to hear what special variations you create!

So without further ado....here is the basic recipe.  I hope you enjoy and perhaps sometime during the summer you can make a batch, serve with fresh berries, a glass of lemonade or a cup of coffee, and enjoy these carefree sunny days.

Basic Quick Bread Recipe

(yields approximately 8 cups)

Ingredients for Quick Mix:

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup butter

Directions for Quick Mix:

1. Blend flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl.
2. Cut in the butter (any method you choose - either food processor, two knives, or pastry blender) until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
3. Store tightly in refrigerator (up to 2 months) or freezer (up to 4 months)

Ingredients for Muffins:

• 1/2 cup milk (or other liquid ingredient, depending on muffin variation.  OJ and eggnog work well)
• 1 egg
• 2 cups Quick Mix
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar (depending on your taste preference)

Directions for Muffins:

1. In a large bowl, mix the milk and egg together
2. Add the Quick Mix, Sugar, and any other spices or ingredients you choose.
3. Stir until just moistened.
4. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full
5. Bake at 400 degrees approximately 10-12 minutes for mini muffins (slightly longer for regular ones)

Of course, for added decadence, you can top the muffins with a streusel mix before baking - or drizzle with a powder sugar glaze or melted chocolate chips while still warm from the oven.

Weekend Cooking: Versatile Muffins

Weekend  Cooking is culinary meme hosted by Beth Fish Reads and is open for anyone to join at any time.  I can't tell you how many new recipes I have added to my collection, or how many new food related books I have added to the TBR list because of this group.  I LOVE it!!

I have spent the past several weeks detailing various muffin recipes I made on a regular basis when Molly's Muffins was in full swing several years ago.  I thought today's post might focus on how to take a basic recipe and adapt it several ways.

There were two such recipes that I used quite often.  One I recently made for the picture that showcased my Strawberry Picking adventures that resulted in 9 pints of freezer jam.  The muffins do not contain a lot of sugar, which make them ideal for homemade jam and jellies.  I first found this recipe when living in NYC and it was featured on a local Saturday morning program.  Since that time, however, I have read the same recipe in several cookbooks and seen it on numerous online recipe sites:

Basic Muffins (Recipe #1)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 stick melted butter
• 1 slightly beaten egg
• 1 cup milk

Directions:

1. Melt the butter and set aside to cool
2. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour - sugar - baking powder)
3. Make a well in the center and add the egg, milk, and melted butter.
4. Mix just to combine (over-mixing results in a tougher muffin)
5. Bake at 350 degrees approximately 12 minutes (of course, it depends on the size of your muffin tins)

While this is a good muffin as is, I would also adapt this recipe to make ~

• Snickerdoodle Muffins (add 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg to the batter and when removed from the oven, quickly dip the tops in melted butter and then cinnamon sugar.  Let cool slightly and then watch how quickly they disappear!)
• Blueberry Muffins (add about 1 cup crushed blueberries to the mixture.  Crushed worked best for the mini muffins, as whole blueberries resulted in uneven baking.  Sometimes I would top the muffins with nutmeg sugar to bring out the flavor of the berries)
• Eggnog Muffins (I replaced the milk with store-bought eggnog and before putting in the oven I would sprinkle the tops with nutmeg sugar --- approximately 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg added to 1 tablespoon sugar)
• Jelly Surprise Muffins (these take a little bit more time to prepare, but are well worth the effort.  Fill the tin about 1/3 with muffin batter; spoon a bit of jelly in the center; top with batter to fill tin about 2/3 full) Each bite yields a tasty surprise.

Hopefully these adaptations have helped you imagine some new muffin combinations that you would like to try as well.

This post is rather long - so I think I will post the Basic Muffin recipe #2 next week.

I am currently (if all goes as planned) in Chicago celebrating 28 years of marriage by going to the Art Institute and having Giordanno's deep dish pizza!  I look forward to reading all the Weekend Cooking posts when I return home early next week.

Weekend Cooking: Banana Nut Muffins

Weekend Cooking is a wonderful weekly meme hosted by Beth Fish.  Feel free to join if you would like!

I will continue my theme of Mini Muffins which I began a few weeks ago.  So far I have shared recipes for White Gingerbread and Cappuccino Chip muffins, and today I will share a more traditional recipe, Banana Nut.  Most quick bread recipes can be easily prepared in mini muffin tins - which for some reason always seem more festive and fun.  I tend to delude myself in thinking that mini muffins have fewer calories since they are so small.  That may be correct, but not if you eat three or four in a sitting!

This recipe comes from the classic cookbook, The Fannie Farmer Baking Book, which I obtained back in the 80s and have worn very thin (in fact, the book automatically opens to this particular recipe because I have used it so often).  The recipe that I will share today is entitled Kona Inn Banana Bread (page 551), but I will also tell you that I have successfully prepared the Zucchini Bread (page 553) and Pumpkin Bread (page 557) recipes as mini muffins to the culinary delight of family and friends.

All these muffins freeze well, so my philosophy is to always make a double batch (it really doesn't take much more time than a single batch) and freeze some for impromptu get-togethers.  I hope you enjoy!

Kona Inn Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• my adaptation:  1 teaspoon ginger and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup butter - softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 6 medium bananas)
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (although I have often thought chopped macadamias would be truly decadent)

Directions:

1. Stir together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking soda, and if desired, spices)
2. In a large bowl, mix the wet ingredients (butter, sugar, banana, eggs, and walnuts)
3. Add the combined dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until the batter is thoroughly blended.
4. Pour into greased muffin tins (I use Pam) and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15 minutes (start checking after 12 minutes just in case)

Weekend Cooking: Strawberry Jam

Weekend Cooking is the weekly meme hosted by Beth Fish Reads where we discuss all things culinary.  Feel free to join us anytime!

About two weeks ago my youngest daughter, my son's girlfriend, and I drove about thirty minutes outside of town to a "pick your own" strawberry patch.  I had discovered their location from the Pick Your Own website, which has listings available for all fifty states, plus a few international locations.  This was an adventure for me, for as I have mentioned before, I do not like to drive to "foreign" locations on my own.  Well, this proved to be a bit more of an adventure than I originally thought, but a lot of fun!

We found the Wohletz farm with no problems, but even though we arrived before 10:30AM and I had confirmed the night before that they had plenty of fruit, they were totally picked clean!  We were so disappointed.  However, in true Midwest spirit, the owner apologized profusely and suggested we try another local farmer "just up the road a piece"  The directions were minimal to say the very least, and I was afraid I would end up on the edge of the county without a clue how to return to civilization.

However, all those fears were for naught.  We found the second farm, Lawson Brothers, without any problems (and it wasn't nearly as far out of the way as I had originally thought) and they had loads of berries ripe for the picking.  The three of us picked about 13.5 pounds of strawberries in about 45 minutes time.  We could have easily picked more, but it was a typical hot, humid Kansas day and we were tired and sweaty.

So what does one do with that many strawberries?  Well, I gave about two quarts to Amanda to take home to her mom, sugared down about two quarts for strawberry shortcake, and turned the rest into nine pints of Strawberry Freezer Jam.

The recipe is fool-proof (it is available inside the box of each Sure-Jell packet), requires no sterilization or paraffin seals, keeps for months in the freezer, and tastes out of this world!  I think our family has already snarfed down about two pints!

I just got notification that the same farm now has raspberries ready for picking - but I am not a fan of all those seeds.  However, the blueberries are just about ready at The Berry Patch and the same gang plus my eldest daughter hope to venture out next week and pick several quarts of those tasty treats that can be used in cobblers, smoothies, muffins, and pancakes.

Library Loot: Part 2 - Cookbooks

I mentioned last week - prior to the fabulous Armchair BEA event - that I have made several online visits to my local library, requesting books like there is no tomorrow.  The first group of library books posted had to do with my newfound hobby of photography.  Today's loot, in honor of Weekend Cooking, will focus on an old past-time of mine, cooking.

I used to love to cook - before picky eaters and full-time job entered my life.  But I am finally at a point where the picky eater fix their own meal (on the rare chance that she is actually home for dinner), and I feel that my teaching life is at a point where I do not have to focus on it constantly.  I am hoping to find some new recipes to add to my old collection, so that come fall I can easily plan a week's worth of meals, cook about 3 nights out of 7, and enjoy leftovers the remaining days.

The cookbooks that I focused on this time are Food Network stars that never fail:  Rachel Ray (I need to master the 30 minute meal), the Barefoot Contessa, and Paula Dean.  I also added a Taste of Home book to the mix as well as a Chinese book by Martin Yan to hopefully help me utilize my new wok.

I quickly discovered while skimming these books that I will have to make the recipes on a rather infrequent basis or my waste-line will expand exponentially and all the money I saved by eating in - will soon be spent on a new wardrobe.  But...not to fear...I just went online and ordered several "lower fat" cookbooks that should be ready for pick up next week.  So....I will obviously not run short of library loot postings over the summer months!

Do you have a favorite low-fat summer recipe (or cookbook) that you would like to share?  I would love to hear!

Recipe: White Gingerbread

Weekend Cooking is a weekly event sponsored by Beth Fish.  Anyone can participate and it is a lot of fun (plus a great way to find new recipes to add to a familiar repertoire).

I know many of you know JoAnn of Lakeside Musing, but did you know that she and her daughter have started another blog devoted to cooking?  It is called, appropriately, Lakeside Kitchen and I think it is great that two generations can work collaboratively on such a fun project.  Last week they posted about some new cupcake cookbooks received and the impromptu purchase of a mini-muffin tin.  I can't tell you what memories this brought back for me!

When we were still living in Connecticut (circa 1989), my husband was a branch manager for a local bank.  One day he said that he would like to do something for his regular customers who drop in on Saturdays, but he wasn't sure what.  He thought maybe donut holes, but for some reason I piped up and suggested mini muffins.  Well, that one suggestion provided about 5 years worth of Molly's Muffins.  If I didn't bake muffins for the bank, I was baking them for women's Bible study or some other social gathering.

I would typically make about 3 different varieties each week, about 6 dozen of each variety (a double batch of each recipe).  I think I had a rotating group of about 20 or so recipes, so that people wouldn't eat the same muffin twice in one month.  I thought it might be fun to post a couple of these recipes for this weekly meme over the next couple of Saturdays.

Today's recipe is actually a coffee cake of sorts.  I am not sure where the recipe originated, as my mom made it while I was in high school and then I absconded with the recipe after I married.  I adapted the measurements to suit the mini-muffin tins, but typically I make it in a 9x13 Pyrex dish.  This is a very good, basic, rather bland cake that goes well with brunch fare, an elegant luncheon, or just a mid-afternoon snack with a cup of tea.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my family has over the years.

White Gingerbread

Ingredients:

• 4 cups sifted flour
• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 cup sour milk or buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon soda - dissolved in milk
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

1. Crumb together the flour, sugar and butter.  Reserve 2 cups
2. To remaining crumbs, add eggs, milk, soda, and spices.  Mix well.
3. Grease a 9x13 pan.  
4. Sprinkle half of the reserved crumbs (approximately 1 cup) on the bottom of the pan.
5. Spread batter over these crumbs (batter will be thick - so I normally place 1/3 at either end and 1/3 in the middle and then spread that way)
6. Sprinkle remaining crumbs on top.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25-30 minutes - or until tests done.

Open House Cookbook

It has been a while since I have taken part in Weekend Cooking hosted each week by Beth Fish Reads.  Actually, it has been quite a while since I have taken part in any cooking activity - be it on the weekend or during the week.  However, I hope to change that this summer.

I used to LOVE to cook (hated the clean up, but loved to cook).  Then I had kids.  And my kids were picky eaters.  And I found that I enjoyed a meal without complaints more than I enjoyed gourmet food.  So...the blue box of macaroni and cheese won out over homemade - and fish sticks won out over salmon.

However....my youngest is now entering her senior year of high school and it occurred to me that #1 - she is no longer as picky as she used to be and #2 - she is rarely home to enjoy a meal with us anyway.  So, I think it is high time that I organized my life where I can begin to reclaim my kitchen and start preparing fun, tasty, homemade meals that are not only better for me, but better for my pocketbook as well.

This led me to browse my cookbook shelves and discover some long lost friends.  One of my favorite cookbooks of my BK life (before kids) was Sarah Leah Chase's Open-House Cookbook.  Sarah owned a quaint food shop, Que Sera Sarah, on Nantucket Island in the 1980s (isn't everything on Nantucket quaint?  That is my impression anyway), and the recipes found in this book are the tried and true favorites of the weekend vacationers.  What I love about this book, however, are not only the wonderful recipes (with seafood being a featured ingredient of many of them), but the actual prose in which she introduces each one.  At one time in her life Ms. Chase studied language philosophy - and her love of words equals her devotion to food.

The vast majority of the recipes in this book are geared toward summertime fare (she has written another cookbook, Cold Weather Cooking, that concentrates on the hearty winter soups, stews, and casseroles), and I hope to find several must-try recipes.  The most memorable recipes from this collection that I know I will try again are her Chicken Salad variations:  Curried Chicken Salad, Chicken, Apricot Salad with Double-Mustard Mayonnaise, and Classic Chicken and Grape Salad which I will share here.

The introduction to this recipe, which is indicative of her wonderful writing style, states:

While ingredients such as dried thyme, garlic powder, and store-bought mayonnaise reflect the culinary naivete of my adolescence, the ensuing years of food sophistication spent cultivating window boxes of fragrant fresh herbs and whisking together countless varieties of homemade mayonnaise have yet to  yield a more perfectly comforting and soothing chicken salad than this original "Ritz" rendition. (page 164)

Classic Chicken and Grape Salad


Ingredients:

• 3.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts - poached and cooled
• 5 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
• 1.5 cups seedless green grapes, cut in half
• 1.5 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 Cups (or to taste) Hellmann's mayonnaise

Preparation:

1. Cut the chicken breasts into 3/4 to 1 inch chunks, removing and discarding any tough tendons as you go along.
2. Toss the chicken, celery, and grapes together in a large bowl.  Season with the thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Bind the salad with the mayonnaise.  You want to use a lot of mayonnaise to make the salad very moist and creamy.
3. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and refrigerate covered at least 1 hour before serving.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

I look forward to making it myself --- once the weather in Kansas decides to warm up!

Weekend Cooking: PTA Casserole

 Weekend Cooking is graciously hosted by Beth Fish and allows me to focus on another passion in life:  cooking.  She encourages us to post anything that has to do with food:  a recipe, a cookbook review, a kitchen gadget promotion - anything.  So if you care to play along, visit the introductory post found here

When the kids were younger and life was more hectic (aka - Mom was the only one available with a driver's license to take 3 children to various extra-curricular activities and social engagements), I would gravitate toward the 365 Meal books to help me fix dinner in a pinch.  At one time I think I owned every title made, but I found that the 365 ways to cook Pasta, Chicken, and Ground Meat to be the tried-and-true favorites.  Later this year, if and when the weather ever becomes sunny and warm, I will post the recipe for Pasta Salad that everyone in the family adores - but for today, I thought I would post the recipe for soul-satisfying PTA casserole.  This dish is very easy to prepare, makes a ton to allow for leftovers, and in my humble opinion, epitomizes the meaning of comfort food!


PTA CASSEROLE
Ingredients:

• 8 oz elbow macaroni -- cooked until tender
• 1 pound ground meat
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 8 oz cream cheese - softened
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley (optional)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Parmesan cheese (my addition)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large skillet - cook ground meat and onion over medium-high heat, stirring often to break up clumps of meat, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.  Drain off excess fat.  Stir in tomato sauce, celery salt and pepper.
3. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream and parsley until smooth.
4. In a buttered (I use Pam) deep 3-quart casserole, layer the macaroni, all of cheese mixture, and remaining macaroni. Top macaroni with meat sauce and dot with butter (I eliminate the butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese instead).
5. Bake until casserole is bubbling, about 45 minutes
6. NOTE:  this can be prepared through step 4 in advance, cover and refrigerate for up to one day before baking.

Weekend Cooking: Bierrocks

Thank you, Beth Fish, for hosting this fun culinary event! I used to love cooking and had quite a collection of cookbooks to help me with that hobby. But over the past few years I just have not been eager to get into the kitchen after a full day of teaching - and full night of grading looming in the distance. This weekly meme is starting to rekindle that passion, however, and I so look forward to all the recipes and reviews over the weekend.

I had not heard of Bierrocks (I think they are also called Runzas) before moving to the Midwest, however once I read about these tasty morsels I knew I wanted to give them a try. It only took me about ten years to actually go from printed recipe to a tried-and-true favorite.

I like this recipe for a several reasons. First of all, it is very adaptable. You can substitute any kind of cheese (american, cheddar, mozzarella, and swiss are some of our favorites), add seasonings to suit your taste buds (I don't like onions, but enjoy red peppers), and even vary the meat filling (ground turkey or sausage work quite well). Secondly, you can make a large batch of these in one afternoon, freeze them, and they are ready to reheat in the microwave in a matter of seconds (about 50 seconds works well for us). Finally, they are enjoyed by all members of the family: young and old; male and female.

This recipe came from the Once a Month Cooking section of the Menus 4 Moms website. The original recipe included directions for making homemade rolls, but to be honest, that is too much work for me. I use the Rhodes frozen rolls -- usually thawing about 24 rolls for one batch of Bierrocks mixture. I hope your family can enjoy some on one of these frigid winter evenings!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground beef (I use 93% fat free)
• 1/2 head cabbage, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 18 slices American Cheese (I prefer grated)
• 1 egg (optional - I do not use it)
• sesame seeds to garnish (again, I do not use)

Assembly:

1. Brown beef in a large skillet. Do not drain. Add onion and cabbage and continue cooking until onion is soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let cool.
2. After rolls have thawed, assemble bierrocks one at a time. Roll dough as thin as possible. Place cheese on dough (I use a healthy "pinch" - perhaps 1.5 Tablespoons) and then top with filling (I used approximately 2.5 Tablespoons). Fold over and seal like a turnover (I grab all corners at the top, pinch together, and create a round ball).
3. Place on baking sheet (I use Parchment paper for easy clean-up), brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional) and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown (my oven runs hot so I cook them about 20-25 minutes).
4. Serve immediately or cool and freeze.

Weekend Cooking: National Pie Day!

As I sit here typing the post and looking out the window I realize that it is the first time in weeks - literally before Christmas, that there is no snow on the ground! We have actually been above freezing for most of the week and the nearly one foot of snow has finally melted. Of course, this means that my family room will now be a muddy mess as dogs go in and out the back door, but that is a small price to pay for a bit of warm weather. Hopefully the forecast of falling temps and more snow tomorrow are inaccurate!

I wasn't quite sure what to write today (I still have 30 more pages to read in The Swan Thieves, and the review for A Moveable Feast is not yet complete) and then I read on Lorraine Bartlett's blog, Dazed and Confused, that today is National Pie Day! Who knew?! I LOVE pie! Given a choice of desserts, I would choose pie over cake, ice cream, and most cookies. I love fruit pies (apple and peach are my favorites, but blueberry is a close runner up); custard pies (coconut and chess pies are favorites); holiday pies (pecan and pumpkin - although mincemeat is quite delicious); well...you get the idea.

Unfortunately, I have yet to master the perfect pie crust and (cringe) I tend to buy the ready-made crusts in the refrigerated section. Someday, however, I will take the time to tackle that challenge. It is tough job, but I am willing to make the sacrifice. I will persevere and make as many pies as I need to in order to complete the mission.

In the spirit of Beth Fish Reads weekly meme, Weekend Cooking, I thought I would post my two favorite pie recipes, Southern Living's Apple Pie and my mom's traditional Poor Man's Pecan Pie, but then I realized I already wrote those recipes for the Fall Festival Recipe Exchange. So I thought if you are interested, you can view those recipes here, or perhaps you have your own favorite pie recipe that you would like to share in honor of this auspicious occasion.

Gingerbread Houses

About a week ago I posted some of our family traditions, which include making gingerbread houses. Several of you requested that I post the finished products, and I am happy to comply.

On Monday night we had my daughter and her husband, my son and his girlfriend, along with her stepfather, mother, and brother, and my youngest daughter participate in the annual decorating of the GB --- as they have dubbed the event on twitter. My husband and I tried to ensure that everyone had enough frosting and goodies to complete their project.

The ante has now officially been "upped" in the Gingerbread House event. While the "typical" house would include two pentagons for the front and back, two squares for the sides, and two rectangles for the roof --- many participants this year decided to cut their own shapes for a different gingerbread look. But I am getting ahead of myself. On Sunday afternoon I rolled, cut, and baked 8 different houses. I usually do this at least 24 hours in advance so that the gingerbread has a chance to set and somewhat harden.

On Monday afternoon I went shopping for all the decorating goodies. These tend to vary slightly from year to year, but typically include:

• Frosted Mini Wheat cereal -- makes a great thatched roof; or hay
• Tootsie Rolls - makes great logs stacked on the side of the house
• Green Gumdrops - makes perfect bushes to decorate with snow along the perimeter of the house
• Necco wafers --- good for a roof
• Red Licorice bites - also good for a red tile roof effect - or a chimney
• M&Ms --- all around good decorating
• Jelly Belly (ice cream assortment) - these particular colors make great sidewalks or stone effects for the side of a house
• Stick Pretzels -- make a great fence or just good all-around building material (I forgot to buy these this year and was made aware of my faux pas. It will not happen again)
• Nerds - or other small candies - make good Christmas Light decorations

Of course the sky is the limit with candy decorations - but these tend to be our favorites.

As I mentioned before, this year we got into the sculpting of gingerbread as well as the simple candy decorations. One made a rather clever in-ground house sculpture; my son-in-law made a pick up truck, my daughters made an adobe style house, and my son and his girlfriend put their houses together and made a "ranch" house (hmmm....I wonder if this was a subtle hint that they plan to eventually live together?? -- eg --- an engagement is in the near future?)

Ultimately I think fun was had by all. Decorating lasted nearly two full hours, and many laughs were shared. It is always a great time - and I am so glad that this tradition has continued after the kids have grown. Although I do wonder how many houses I will have to make once grandchildren are on the scene?!

Cookie Craft Christmas - Post 2

I reviewed this book a couple of days ago for the Weekend Cooking meme and I had several people request that I post my results of the sugar cookie recipe after I had tried it. I am here to say, after cutting out, baking, and decorating 3.5 dozen cookies -- that the cookie recipe is truly wonderful and foolproof!

The cookie recipe is VERY basic: flour, salt, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. That is it. There is no leaving agent in the batter at all. The true secret -- the idea that makes this recipe foolproof - is the fact that you roll the dough out between sheets of wax paper immediately after mixing the ingredients together. THEN you refrigerate the rolled out dough approximately 20 minutes - just long enough to clean up the mixing bowl and wipe down the counter tops. After the dough is stiff, you cut out the shapes and bake. It really is foolproof, and personally I like the flavor of the cookie as it is not too sweet, which compliments the royal icing decorations.

The instructions for decorating the cookies are quite detailed and if you follow them to the T - they work rather well. First, you pipe an outline on all cookies using a standard royal icing recipe. Next, you flood the cookie with a very thin layer of royal icing. My "flooding" technique leaves a lot to be desired, but for a first time effort, I think it worked ok. I ended up spooning the mixture on the cookie (the piping bag was just too much of a mess) and then used a toothpick to spread the icing into the various nooks and crannies. It took me approximately 2 hours to decorate the 3.5 dozen cookies and I am exhausted. BUT...I am thrilled to have traditional holiday cookies to place on my Christmas Eve buffet.

I would definitely recommend this little book to anyone who enjoys holiday baking and aspires to creating wonderfully decorated cookies. The recipes are good, the instructions are invaluable, and the ideas are inspiring.

Weekend Cooking: Gingerbread Men

Weekend cooking is a weekly meme hosted by Beth F Reads and anyone can take part who has a food-related post. Well, as I was baking gingerbread this morning I thought it would make a great post for this holiday weekend.

Gingerbread has been a Totoro tradition since 1989 when I was asked if I would be willing to make some gingerbread men for a fundraiser activity. One of the first tips I learned as a potential caterer was "never say no" --- so I said of course I could make gingerbread men. They immediately placed an order for 125!! I experimented with recipes, solicited help from the entire Totoro side of the family (my husband - mother in law - father in law - and grandmother in law) and we managed to bake, decorate, and wrap all 125 men in time for the event. While I was a little tired of gingerbread at the end of that weekend, I knew that I had found a calling.

In 1991 I began the family tradition of making gingerbread houses, which continues to this day.... but that will be the subject of another post. Fast forward to 2001 and my first year of teaching. In googling possible classroom projects, I came across the idea of making and decorating gingerbread men to sell to the student body in order for the class to give a gift to a local charity. I thought this was a marvelous idea and immediately began to work on it. The class developed a business name, Mrs. Totoro's Baker's Dozen (as there were 13 students in the class) - calculated ingredients needed - cost of ingredients - and price to sell the cookies in order to yield a profit. We then decided to solicit advanced orders so we would have an idea how many men to make. I was hoping for orders of around a 100. One week later we had advanced orders of 450 men!! I ended up baking 600 men over the course of a week -and the class decorated them all in an afternoon. What an experience - but it was worth every second when we delivered a check for $500 to a local family whose husband/father had been unemployed for over 6 months.

So..as you can tell...gingerbread men and I go way back. This year I decided to give the staff at school a gift of a gingerbread couple, along with a selection of Christmas teas from the Stash Tea company (my favorites are Christmas Eve and White Christmas) . I got up early this morning and made a double batch of gingerbread - enough for about 32 gingerbread men and women. I googled some images of decorated gingerbread men and decided to do my own interpretation of a couple of the images I found. Here is a picture of them "naked" (before decorating) and then a picture of the well-dressed couple.

These are my first Christmas cookies of the season and I must admit that it is beginning to look - and smell - a lot like Christmas.

Weekend Cooking: Turkey Spaghetti

Weekend Cooking is a weekly meme hosted by Beth Fish Reads where she invites anyone to share their reviews of cookbooks, food writing, foodie novels or movies, or just about anything that promotes the love of food.

In a prior life - about 20 years ago - I was actually contemplating a catering career. I would pour over the monthly Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines, vowing to make at least one recipe from each new edition. At that time, Martha Stewart was my hero (heroine - ?) and I would often read her books on Entertaining, Hors d'oeuvres, and Desserts from cover to cover. I would slave in the kitchen for over a week to produce the table fare for our annual Christmas party. I would think nothing of spending 3 hours on a dinner for two. Not any more.

Once I had kids and they indicated their preference for the blue box of macaroni and cheese to my homemade variety, I put up my oven mitts in exchange for microwavable dinners. But now that the kids are grown (2 are out on their own and the youngest is a junior in high school), I am beginning to rekindle a desire to get back into the kitchen and experiment a bit. While my teaching job keeps me busy (and tired), I do try to prepare more meals at home, and I am hoping to re-ignite that passion for cooking once I fully retired.

As I posted two weeks ago, I was privileged to attend a book signing for the Pioneer Woman's new cookbook. She is a hoot and a half (and if you don't know who I am talking about - you simply must take the time to visit her blog), and her cooking style is down home comfort food. While there are many recipes that I would like to try, I have planned to make her Chicken Spaghetti this weekend with the leftover Thanksgiving turkey. The recipe sounds easy, filling, and delicious.

Chicken (Turkey) Spaghetti a la Pioneer Woman

adapted by Molly in order to use leftovers

• 1 pound thin spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces
• leftover chicken/turkey broth
• one 4 oz jar diced pimentos, drained
• 1 small onion - diced
• 1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 2.5 cups grated cheddar cheese
• salt - pepper - cayenne to taste
• chicken meat from one fryer (or approximately 2 cups turkey leftovers)

1. Cook spaghetti in broth until al dente. Drain and place in large mixing bowl.
2. Add to the spaghetti the cream of mushroom soup, 2 cups of grated cheese, diced vegetables, seasonings, and leftover turkey.
3. Stir together and mix thoroughly. Taste to check the seasonings.
4. Pour mixture into large baking dish and top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35 - 45 minutes (until bubbly).

This sounds yummy to me - and quite a nice change from those leftover turkey sandwiches.