Part 3: Building "A House of Order"-- Easy Freezer Meal!

The last part of our wonderful RS activity involved making an easy freezer meal. The idea behind our entire meeting was to get our homes in order so that we can then serve others. Sisters were encouraged to share the freezer meal with someone they felt could really use it at this time--even if it meant their own family (self-care is also a huge aspect of then being able to fully serve others!).

Below you will find the original recipe Margie used for our activity. However, to make things even simpler for our meeting, we made regular lasagna instead of the lasagna rolls. No-boil lasagna noodles were used, and the dish was layered as follows:

sauce
3 noodles (not touching)
sauce
ricotta mixture
3 noodles
sauce
ricotta mixture
3 noodles
sauce
ricotta mixture
sauce
mozzarella cheese on top (can also be sprinkled on each layer throughout)

As long as the no-boil noodles are layered with the sauce or ricotta mixture and are not touching one another, they will cook just fine! An easy way to make and share a meal like this without worrying about your own dishes is to use a disposable aluminum foil pan covered with foil. Hope you enjoyed the meal and/or sharing it!

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

9 lasagna noodles, cooked
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and fresh pepper
32 oz jar of spaghetti sauce
9 tbsp (about 3 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.

Here are pictures from the night's activity!

Apryl's Bread Recipe

Buttermilk Bread

Apryl Martin

LIQUIDS
1 and 1/3 cup Buttermilk
(can also do 1 c buttermilk and 1/3 c water, if really need to cut calories by fat--but note that buttermilk is typically between 1/2% and 1 1/2% milkfat)

4 TBLS canola oil
1 TBLS lemon juice

NON LIQUIDS
1 and 1/2 tsp salt
4 TBLS sugar (white granulated)
1/4 tsp baking soda
about 4 cups white Bread flour

(must be _Bread_ flour, also sometimes called Baker's Flour. It is flour made from hard winter wheat and has a different gluten and fiber ratio than all-purpose flour.  All-purpose flour will not function for bread. It doesn't rise much, just becomes a somewhat larger gooey puddle...)

Another note on flour, the amount of flour needed is very weather specific.  In the winter (colder, dryer) you'll tend to use a little less flour.  In the summer (hotter, wetter) you'll tend to use a little more flour.

1 and 1/2 tsp instant yeast

(can also use active dry yeast.  I think the conversion ratio is to triple the yeast amount if using active dry.  In other words, 1 oz active dry equals 1/3 oz instant.  I use instant yeast only because you can typically dry it in airtight packages of larger quantity than active dry, and it keeps much longer with less degradation then active dry.  I make bread daily and so go through a lot of yeast, so you'd think degradation wouldn't be an issue for me, but because I make so much bread I like to buy yeast in large quantities.  Instant I can buy a bag of--several bags and keep the extras in the freezer--use on it for a couple of months with my container stored at room temperature, without needing to adjust for degradation.  And since I use a smaller amount it goes further.)


If using bread machine, place ingredients in canister as they are listed above, with the wet going in first and the dry on top.  Set your machine to its "dough" setting.  When the machine signals done, take the dough out and separate it into two equal balls.  Shape balls into loaves, place in loaf pans, and let rise until the crown of the dough loaf reaches the height of the top of the loaf pan.

Baking bread is very oven specific...

So noting whether your own oven tends to "cook hot" or "cook cold" (i.e., temp seems above or below average), try bread within the 350-400 range.  You'll have to figure out how long by experimentation as well, somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes.  You're looking for a bake that doesn't leave a doughy center and doesn't burn the top.  In some of my ovens over the years I have had to cover the top of the loaf (loosely) with tinfoil when the bread is half-way through its bake, because the oven was a hot-top-baking type...

GLASS LOAF BREAD PANS are a must for yeast bread baking, or the loaf will not brown all the way around.

If you are not using a bread machine, then you'll make the dough in the following manner:

Mix wet together and leave out at room temperature until the liquid IS room temperature.  Sift dry together except for flour.  When you are ready to put the wet and dry together (again, except for flour), then dissolve the yeast in your combined liquids and then immediately combine the yeasted liquids with the drys (again, the drys minus flour).

Add flour gradually, mixing in each cup thoroughly, kneading in the final cup.  Add flour until soft and tacky, just past not sticky.  It is something you get a feel for over time ;).  You'll tend to use more flour in the summer and less in the winter, due to the effects of temperature and humidity.

Allow to rise double in size (amount of time this takes depends on the time of year and state of weather that day), then punch down and knead.

Allow to rise double in size again, then punch down and knead.

Recipes makes two one pound loaves, so separate in half, form into two loaves, and place in loaf pans.  Follow rest of directions as noted above.

This recipes (along with others) will be kept permanently on our Recipes tab.

Margie's Pumpkin Cookies Recipe

 

Here is the recipe for the Pumpkin cookies that I made for RS.

I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, even though the recipe calls for milk chocolate.

Enjoy!
Margie

All RS recipes found here permanently.

Marie's Cookies

Hi All,
I've received some requests for the sugar cookie/frosting recipe used this past week in Primary, so here it is. Marie

Note: I add an extra 1/2 - 1 tsp of milk to the icing to make it flow well enough to put into one of those squeeze bottles - like the ones that are used for ketchup, or for making candy. If you outline the cookie with the frosting and then 'flood' the interior it works really well, and makes the whole job a lot faster than using a knife.

Penzey's Spices No Chill Cut out Cookies
1 cup butter, softened, 2 sticks
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder

Vanilla Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. butter, melted
3 TB. milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. pure almond extract

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and the vanilla, mix until well blended.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder then gradually add to the butter mixture and blend well.

Form the dough into a smooth ball. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 inch. Cut out with cookie cutters and place on ungreased cookie sheets.

Fill each cookie sheet with cookies of equal size to ensure even baking. Bake for 6 minutes (a bit longer for thicker cookies), but they shouldn’t brown at all.

Remove from cookie sheets and cool on wire racks or waxed paper. Decorate as desired when cool.

Frosting: Mix all of the ingredients together until smooth. Color with food coloring if desired.

Marie Tiller

Find this and other recipes permanently on our recipe page.

e

Comfort Food

Photo not actually from the funeral :-) But it looks nummy!

Recently my daughter posted some photos from my dad's funeral earlier this year. I had to smile at the pic of the plate of food from the family luncheon. Can you guess her ideal menu? Yep...ham, funeral potatoes, jello salad, green salad, a roll and cake.

This got me to thinking about comfort food and I went looking for the funeral potatoes recipe. Below is my favorite because they have to be creamy and not too dry, and the topping has to be crispy.

This evidently is a famous Mormon dish. It even has its own wikipedia page!

Mormon Funeral Potatoes
32 oz bag of frozen shredded hash browns
2 (10 3/4 oz) cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 c. chopped onion (green onions are good too)
2 cups finely crushed corn flakes
2 Tbs butter, melted

Grease 9x13 baking dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl combine soups, sour cream, cheese, onions, and the 1/2 cup of melted butter. Gently fold hash browns into mixture. Pour mixture into pan. Combine crushed corn flakes and the 2 Tbs. of melted butter and sprinkle on top of potato mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.

You can use cubed potatoes instead of hash browns but you will need to increase baking time to 55 minutes.

Look for it permanently on our own Recipes page.

It's winter and it's cold and it's snowing again...so make some creamy cheesy potatoes for dinner tonight.

e

Courtesy of MesquiteMama on GroupFoods.com

BPVF! - Wheat Redux

We had our Be Prepared Valley Forge! meeting this Wednesday.

Big thanks to Deb Chiapelli for hosting it at her house and to Debbie Horton for all the time and preparation she put into get us all educated on wheat. Thank you to all who made tasters, too!

Debbie's handout about wheat
Recipes from the evening as a document, or on our RS Recipes page.

There is a wheat grinder at the church if you want to buy wheat and then just mill it at the church—no need to purchase your own wheat grinder.

 

e

BPVF - Wheat!

Hello Sisters!

We had a fun meeting centered around wheat today and I want to send out the recipes and the handout.

We will be having the same class on Feb. 16 at 7 pm at someone’s house (any volunteers?) so if you weren’t able to come today, you will get another chance to sample different wheat and different ways to cook it. 

Included in the handout are prices of bulk wheat and flour and other stuff.

Also, there are some sample prices for wheat grinders. If we can get at least 5 people to buy one, we can get a price break on the kitchen mill. (We will have two wheat grinders at the Feb. meeting—one electric and one hand—for you to see and try out.)

There is also a wheat grinder at the church if you want to buy wheat and then just mill it at the church—no need to purchase your own wheat grinder.

If you have some great wheat recipes, please plan on making some to share at our next meeting! 

Wheat recipes
Wheat handout

Debbie Horton

Photo credit

Summer Salad

Our Summer Relief Society Activity "A Light in the Darkness" was a good success. We had time to talk and get to know one another better, to relax, to have fun in the pool and to reflect on our gifts, our sisterhood, and being a light to one another.

The food was also terrific! Below is Cheryl's recipe for Cashew Cabbage Salad. If you brought a salad or dessert, please send me your recipe and I'll post it.

e



Cashew Cabbage Salad

Step 1
1 head cabbage, sliced thin
1 bag salad greens
1 bunch green onions, sliced

Mix in large bowl and put in refrigerator to keep cold.

Step 2
½ cup slivered almonds
1 cup cashews
1 package Raman noodles, crumbled

Saute in 2-1/2 Tbls. butter, then add between 1/3 to ½ cup brown sugar to pan as needed to coat nut mixture.  Continually stir over medium heat until nuts are a nice golden brown.  Set aside to cool.  After cooled add on top of greens.

Step 3
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup oil
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Combine sugar and vinegar in a small sauce pan over medium heat to dissolve sugar.  Add salt and pepper.  Remove from heat place in a shaker and add oil.  Chill and shake together to pour over salad just before serving.

( You can put the steps in any order you want.)

Cheryl Wentzel

Our Recipes All in One Place

I've gathered all the recipes that have been posted on this blog all into one place.

See our Recipe page always present in the top bar links.

Let's add some more! Send your favorite summer grilling or salad recipe and I'll post it.

e

Photo credit

Easy Pull-Apart Sticky Buns

Looking for something amazing and different to make for Father's Day breakfast in a few weeks?  I have been asked countless times for this recipe for these yummy Sticky Buns, so here it finally is on the blog!  We have these all the time in our house: for Sunday General Conference breakfast, Mother's and Father's Day, Christmas Eve, and whenever we have company staying here.  Basically, they are easy enough to make for LOTS of fun occasions!  You just throw the ingredients in a Bundt pan the night before, cover and let rise overnight, and pop in the oven to bake the next morning...and they are DELICIOUS!

Ingredients/Supplies:
18 white Rhodes rolls frozen dough (comes in bag of 36 or 72)
about 3/4 cup - 1 cup light brown sugar (not packed)
half of a 3.5 oz. Jell-o Butterscotch Instant Pudding Mix
about 1/3-1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (either one is great - we alternate)
1 cube (1/2 cup) butter, melted
bundt pan

First, place 18 white Rhodes dough rolls in a lightly sprayed or non-stick Bundt Pan (9 rolls on the bottom spread evenly, and then 9 rolls on the top overlapping the ones on the bottom.

Next, sprinkle between 3/4 cup -1 cup of light Brown Sugar evenly over frozen rolls, followed by about half of a 3.5 oz box of Butterscotch Instant Pudding Mix.  Then sprinkle your choice of finely chopped nuts over the top of the pudding mix, and once all of the dry ingredients are in, pour your 1 cube of melted butter evenly over rolls. It will look like this:

Cover with clean dish towel overnight (between 7-10 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen, or if you put them in a slightly warm oven that's been turned off, then they take only about 4-5 hours).

In the morning, it will have risen to the top of the pan (often puffed over top). 

Then bake (lay foil lightly over the pan to keep top of rolls from over browning) at 350 for 35-40 minutes.
You can check if it's done by pushing down slightly on the top off the rolls with a spatula, and it should compress a little bit, but not too far or easily or it's probably still too doughy inside.  Usually if you do the full 40 minutes with foil on top the whole time, it won't be too doughy.

Remove from oven and use a heat-protected spatula (I have melted many that weren't geared for heat making these) to slide up and down each groove of the pan all around the outer and inner edges around and under the rolls to make sure that they aren't stuck to the pan in anyway.  Then put the plate or dish you want to put the sticky buns and lay it on top and centered on the pan.  Using oven mitts, hold onto the sides of the bundt pan and platter, and flip it over, shaking slightly to make sure you get everything out.  This actually works best as soon as possible after removing from oven (I usually wait only about a minute), because then the yummy sauce is still really hot and drizzly enough to slide right down and pour all over the sides of the sticky buns.  If you've let the pan sit out for too long and it has cooled a bit, just remove the leftover sauce in the pan with the spatula and spread around the sides of the sticky buns. (These pictures were taken one of the times I let it sit too long before removing from pan, so the nuts and sauce kind of stuck up on the top (bottom of pan) and didn't run down the sides.  It's still yummy, just not as pretty)

That's it!  Pull some apart and enjoy! They are extra yummy with a glass of milk.  They are actually SO much easier than I probably made them sound to make, but I am pretty good at ruining recipes that aren't explained in great detail, so I try to err on the side of caution.

Also, I know I've seen variations on this recipe where people try to actually cook the sauce all together beforehand and then pour on top of the rolls, but this honestly is so good WITHOUT the extra effort, that I can't understand the need to dirty another pot!  These are just that good as is!  Hope you enjoy them (or your husbands/fathers/etc. if you decide to use Father's Day as an excuse to make them!)

From Devon Linn

German Pancakes

I feel like I always make the same things on "special" breakfast mornings (like pancakes, french toast, and scrambled eggs...), so I'm always on the lookout to try something new. Also, if you remember the great foamy vanilla syrup that we had at our Relief Society Celebration Breakfast in March, you know that I'm always trying to find new recipes that we can use that syrup on too!  Greman Pancakes is the perfect recipe that is different AND is great with this syrup. I actually first heard of German Pancakes from the L'Heureux boys during one of their spotlights in Primary last year, so I looked up a recipe and we love these! Thanks to the L'Heurex family for the idea!

German Pancakes

6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Place the eggs, milk, flour and salt in a blender; cover and process until smooth.
2. Pour the butter into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish;
3. Pour the batter on top of the butter in baking dish.
4.  Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.
5. Cut into large squares (like you would a cake) to serve.

These poof right up in the oven too; it's fun for kids to watch!  It does compress down a bit after cooking, and my kids LOVE it with powdered sugar on top. 

And in case you missed it the first time we posted it, here is the yummy syrup recipe that goes great on these:

Foamy Vanilla Syrup

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Syrup Directions:

Add the first 5 ingredients to a large saucepan (will foam up very high, so seriously use LARGE pan) on medium heat. Stir often and bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about 1 minute. Add the baking soda, stir for about 15 seconds (it will get very foamy), and remove from heat.

Serve either while "foamy", or you can let it compress back in and serve as a more traditional syrup.

Stores well in the refrigerator for leftovers, but when reheated doesn't foam up quite as much, but still is very yummy.  Also, you can add up to a tsp of cinnamon to this with the first five ingredients for a very yummy cinnamon syrup -- it's very good that way too!

Devon

Image Credit

Compassionate Service Meals

Often to show our love and kindness we volunteer or ask to help take a meal to a family in need.

Here are some tips to remember when providing a meal, courtesy of Mormon Times, Putting Care into Compassionate Service. (See the recipe for Turkey casserole too.)

• Be prompt and reliable when it comes to bringing in meals. Don't delay or forget.

• Do your homework on the family or individuals you are attempting to serve. Find out how many are in the household, who has strong likes and dislikes, who has allergies to what. ·

• Keep it clean. This is not the time to taste the soup or sneeze on the salad. Don't let little Johnny taste the spaghetti or poke the cake.

• Keep it simple and recognizable. A fancy French dinner is less likely to please than something familiar and comforting like a roast and potatoes.

• Make it easy. Put the dinner in disposable containers that don't need to be returned.

• Deliver instructions with the meals. How long does it need to cook and at what temperature? Is there ice cream in the dessert that needs to stay frozen? 

Related article: Freezer Meals Are Frozen Assets

e

Photo credit

Recipes: Chocolate Chip Cookies and Hummingbird Cake

Emily Flinders’ Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs (room temp if possible)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (feel free to throw in the whole bag if you like them super chocolate-y)

Cream butter, brown sugar and white sugar together in a mixer. Then add the eggs, one at a time. Beat until creamy. Add the vanilla.

In another bowl mix or sift the dry ingredients together before slowly adding them to the creamed mixture. When combined, stop the mixer and add the semi-sweet chips. Mix up and then drop by the teaspoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. I use a 1 3/8" springloaded cookie/ice cream scoop, otherwise mold them into a ball as best as you can with the spoon for a more shaped cookie.

I  sprinkle the cookies lightly with kosher or sea salt before baking, this is optional, but AWESOME.

Bake on 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!
Emily
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Aubrey Behunin’s Hummingbird Cake

1 pkg.  plain yellow cake mix
1 (8oz.) can CRUSHED pineapple, undrained
2-3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I always use Canola)
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon

Grease and flour 2 nine inch round cake pans.  Blend all ingredients together on low speed for 1 minute, increase to medium speed for 2 minutes.  Divide batter into prepared pans.  Bake in 350 oven for 30-32 minutes.  Remove from pans 10 minutes after baked.  Cool completely before frosting.

Classic Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 stick (8 tbsp.) butter or margarine, at room temperature
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
(I sometimes add a splash of milk if needed)

Cream together cream cheese and butter.  Add sugar gradually on low speed until incorporated.  Add vanilla and increase speed to medium to blend and fluff, about 1 minute.  Makes 3 cups, enough to frost 2 or 3 layer cake. 

Enjoy!
Aubrey

Relief Society Breakfast Syrup Recipe

Here is the syrup that is similar to the one served at Magleby's Restaurant in Provo. We served it at the Relief Society Breakfast, and had some requests for the recipe, so here it is! It is wonderful on pancakes, crepes, french toast, german pancakes, and anything else you can think to put it on!




Foamy Vanilla Syrup

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Directions:
Add the first 5 ingredients to a large saucepan (will foam up very high, so seriously use LARGE pan) on medium heat. Stir often and bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about 1 minute. Add the baking soda, stir for about 15 seconds (it will get very foamy), and remove from heat.
Serve either while "foamy", or you can let it compress back in and serve as a more traditional syrup.

Stores well in the refrigerator for leftovers, but when reheated doesn't foam up quite as much, but still is very yummy.

Also, you can add up to a tsp of cinnamon to this with the first five ingredients for a very yummy cinnamon syrup -- it's very good that way too!

Book Club Cafe Rio Recipes

How to make your own Café Rio Salads:
Build your salad using the following ingredients in the order given. You can use disposable pie pans to make it feel more authentic!
1. Large Flour Tortillas - You can buy regular flour tortillas, but it's better if you either make them homemade or buy uncooked ones, if you can find them (which is practically impossible here on the East coast) and cook them on a griddle.

• Sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top and cook until the cheese is melted. Place the cheesy tortillas in a cake pan.

2. Cilantro Lime Rice
2 cups rice
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp. butter
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 small onion chopped finely
1 4 oz. can of diced green chilis
4 cups chicken broth

• Throw all ingredients into rice cooker, then stir well once the rice is finished cooking before you serve it.

3. Black Beans - Two reciepes to choose from!

Cafe Rio Black Beans
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1 can black beans - rinsed and drained
1 c. tomato juice (I use 1/2 c. tomato sauce and 1/2 c. water)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. chopped clinatro

• In skillet cook garlic, cumin and olive oil. Add beans, juice and salt. Simmer on low. Add clinatro prior to serving.

Deb Chiapelli's Black Beans
2 T. oil
1/2 chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
2 clove garlic
1 can black beans
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 c. sugar
1 pkg. sazon goya (without annato)

• Heat oil and saute onions, pepper, and garlic 8-10 minutes. Add in remaining ingredients and stir until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is reduced.

4. Meat of your choice: Sliced grilled chicken, or shredded pork

Cafe Rio Pork
6 lb. pork roast
1-16 oz bottle of salsa
1 can Coke
2 c. brown sugar

• Place pork in crock pot and fill 1/2 way up with water. Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8-10 hours. Drain off water. Cut pork in thirds. Mix together sauce ingredients and put on top of pork. Cook an additional 3 hours on high. Shred pork with fork (it practically shreds itself).

Grilled Chicken
We use a Zesty Herb Marinade seasoning mix from the store, but we then add a lot of lime and about 1 tsp. cumin to the mix. We just follow the directions on the package (with our additions), soak chicken breats in marinade overnight, grill them the next day, and slice 'em up and serve! It's very good!
5. Romaine Lettuce

• Wash thoroughly, and cut into large squares.

6. Pico de Gallo (can be store bought, or here's a good recipe)
4 ripe Tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 jalapeno, minced (remove the seeds and veins if you don’t like a lot of heat)
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
lime juice, to taste
salt, to taste

• Mix everything together and refridgerate.

7. Guacamole (can be store bought, but very easy to make your own)

• Mash 2-3 avocados
• Add lime juice, garlic salt, fresh ground pepper, and salt to taste. If desired, you can also add some pico de gallo.

8. Lime Wedges (serve with the salad, and use as needed)
9. Grated Cotija cheese (or can use parmesean) - sprinkle on top of salad
10. Fresh Cilantro sprigs - sprinkle on top of salad
11. Crispy Tortilla Strips (can be store bought, but very easy to make your own)

• Just cut some corn Tortillas in thin strips and quickly fry until crisp in canola oil. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with a little bit of salt.

12. Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
1 pkt. HV Ranch buttermilk dressing
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. mayo
3 tomatillos
2 clove garlic
1 c. fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper

• Blend all ingredients together in blender. Refrigerate.
  

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Devon's Chessman Cookie Banana Pudding

3 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
4-6 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5 oz.) box instant French vanilla (or regular vanilla) pudding
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz.) tub of Cool Whip, thawed

1. Line bottom of a 13x9x2-inch dish with cookies.
2. Layer bananas on top.
3. In a bowl, combine milk and pudding and blend well with hand mixer
4. Using another bowl, combine cream cheese and condensed milk and mix until smooth.
5. Fold the Cool Whip into the cream cheese mixture.
6. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.
7. Pour mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with remaining cookies.
8. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Play Dough Recipe

Hi, my friends!  Emily Flinders asked me for my play dough recipe and I thought some of you might like it, as well.  It cleans up really well - all you have to do is leave it alone and let it dry, then vacuum it up.

Play Dough
2 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
2 T. alum (sometimes I substitute cream of tartar)
3 T. vegetable oil
1 c. boiling water
optional - a few drops of food coloring
Mix all the ingredients and knead until thoroughly mixed.  I do the kneading at first, until it cools a bit, and then let the kids take a turn. Store in a Ziploc bag.

Have fun!

XX OO Margie

Photo by eyeliam  

Book Club Report

Last Wednesday seven of us met for Book Club at Evone Pope's house. We enjoyed taco dip and chips and yummy Pecan Bars while we talked about the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

Here is the official website with more about the authors and even a recipe for Potato Peel Pie if you're brave enough (or hungry enough to try it).

The plot
January 1946: writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.

This book is an epistolary novel told in the form of letters. Twenty different voices tell the story from their own perspective. You get a peek into the lives of these people and how they surmounted their challenges.

Books bring hope
"Books bring hope and warmth to the people of Guernsey enduring the German occupation."

Watch a video by the author.

A list of books mentioned in the novel.

Other epistolary novels.

Favorite quotes
"None of us had any experience with literary societies, so we made our own rules: we took turns speaking about the books we'd read. At the start, we tried to be calm and objective, but that soon fell away, and the purpose of the speakers was to goad the listeners into wanting to read the book themselves. Once two members had read the same book, they could argue, which was our great delight. We read books, talked books, argued over books, and became dearer, and dearer to one another. Other Islanders asked to join us, and our evenings together became bright, lively times--we could almost forget, now and then, the darkness outside." p. 51

"Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books." p. 53

Okay, ladies, what is your favorite quote?

Share Your Favorite Recipe HERE

Chicken and chocolate and raisins?! It's to die for.

I stumbled across this slow cooker recipe for Chicken Mole at AllRecipes.com. And decided to give it a whirl. It was so delicious. Serve over rice and/or with chips. Be adventurous and try it.

Post your favorite chicken recipe in the comments!

Or better yet, send the recipe and picture to me, and I'll post it on the blog. Top it off with a story about that recipe and we'll be cookin'!

Ellen

Photo credit

When the Chips Are Down, Make Cookies

News Flash! The day of miracles has not ceased.

My elusive son called his mother.

Now this may not seem of any great import to those of you who have doting children still attached umbilically, but I have the type who stays underground only to surface occasionally and toss out a brief text message informing me that the Phillies are slacking off or to alert me that Michael Jackson has passed to the Great Beyond.

While this may not be the ideal mother-child approach to communication, I look for the silver lining and realize that at least I am kept up to speed on current events.

I take what I can get.

No, you would not call my son a social butterfly. Communication-wise, he is still in the larval stage tucked away in the quiet confines of his cocoon choosing only to emerge when over-indulged celebrities kick the bucket.

So that is why I took a double-take last week when my phone flashed his name on the display.

I sucked in my breath and stammered, “Hello. Is it really you?”

“Ya, it’s me,” and old familiar voice said.

“Wonderful. So, who died now?”

Come to find out, no one had died, although I was notified the Phillies were still in a nasty funk. He actually had a purpose in calling...

...to get my ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe!

For those of you out there who know me, you also know that I seriously lack in culinary skills. I am severely Martha Stewart-challenged. I can’t tell a skillet from a skittle and set off smoke alarms when I microwave popcorn.

But what I lack in kitchen-sense, I make up for in the specialized skill of chocolate chip cookie making.

Surprisingly, I am in possession of a cookbook—operative word here “a” as in one.

While the rest of the pages are slick and shiny as the day it was given to me long ago (think, before the invention of fire) as a wedding gift, in this book is a solitary page that is paper-clipped, worn, torn, rumpled, frayed, stained, and looks as though someone has cleaned and filleted fish on it.

It is the page containing the recipe of… (drum roll here please) the-amazing-chocolate-chip-cookie!

Guaranteed to never fail; impress your neighbors; stun your mother-in-law; make your husband fall in love with you all over again and even cause anti-social, communication-challenged children to call their mothers at least once in their lifetime!

Can you tell, I am bitter. But not after eating one of these cookies. Yes, they even cure bitterness! I better eat a dozen.

So, for those of you who want to astound your neighbors, get some respect out of your mother-in-law, turn that man of yours into Romeo, or have a child in need of establishing familial ties once again, grab a pen; your life is about to change.

And, as the scriptures clearly state, “Man shall not live by bread alone”. (I am aware that thus far there has not been a gospel principle inserted, I hope this will suffice.)


AMAZING* CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter (barely softened)
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (not self-rising)
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 package (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375. Mix sugars, butter, shortening, egg and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients.
Drop dough by big rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake until barely brown on top and edges, 8 – 10 minutes. Cool before removing from sheet. Makes about a dozen big cookies—double recipe for more.

*A couple of things to remember to make these turn out spectacular:

• Never use margarine—it’s gross and changes the taste of the cookie.
• Never melt your butter to the liquid stage—it changes the results. If able, leave it out till it reaches room temp., otherwise, “barely” soften it in the microwave.
• Never ever roll your dough into balls. This compresses it and ruins the composition. You want to keep the air pockets in the dough for a better shape and texture.
• Never overcook a cookie. Start them in a hot oven, then check them at 8 minutes and only pull them out when they have barely browned. The next timing may take longer (9-10 minutes) or shorter to achieve a perfect browning. Check them regularly after 8 minutes; don’t depend on a timer alone.
• Use good chips like Nestle. Cheaper, waxy chips diminish the flavor.
• And lastly, I generally add about ¼ cup more flour to make a less flat cookie. Experiment, a little more flour to the dough seems to give it a better shape.

Enjoy!

Cindy Moore