CLASSIC BREAD PUDDING

"Classic" recipes are classic for a reason; they are great old recipes. Bread pudding is one of those classic recipes that most people have a fond childhood memory of. It doesn't take any special ingredients, it is inexpensive and easy to make. It is total comfort food, so it works well for any family gathering or holiday.

10 slices of white bread cubed (see note)
¼ cup melted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
½ cup raisins (soaked)
6 eggs lightly beaten
¾ cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups hot milk
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Preheat oven to 375 and spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with cooking spray. Put your raisins in a small dish and cover them with boiling water and ½ teaspoon of rum extract (if you don't have rum extract, just leave it out, but its very good).
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Cube the bread (you can leave the crusts on or take them off, whichever you prefer). Place the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish and set aside.
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Heat the milk, sugar, butter and salt until the butter melts (I use microwave), add vanilla & spices and whisk in the beaten eggs (whisk while adding the eggs).
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Drain the raisins (throw away the liquid) and sprinkle them over the bread cubes. Pour the egg -milk mixture over the bread cubes. Let this sit for 15 minutes (important).
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Before baking, sprinkle the surface with a little cinnamon sugar (or just sugar) and bake 30-40 minutes (my oven takes 35 minutes). Bread pudding is done when knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm (not hot) with whipped cream or ice cream.

NOTE: This recipe works better with bread that isn't super fresh/soft. Specialty breads like brioche or egg bread work well.

NOTE: When making this for company, I use raisin bread, and I let it sit out in the air for a couple of hours to remove some of the breads moisture. I don't add other raisins.

NOTE: I hope you will all go over to Sweet as Sugar Cookies and take a look. Lisa, is hosting the neatest "Sweets for a Saturday" post. Tons of sweet goods to inspire you!!!

OLD FASHIONED APPLE CRISP

I've been tweaking this apple crisp recipe for most of my married life. I've tried a variety of spices, crusts, topping ingredients, apple types, nuts/no nuts, oats/no oats, baking times, etc. After many years of trial and error, we are happy with this final version. The apples are cut smaller than for a pie (see note) and the topping bakes into a sweet, crispy, nutty perfection.

I like to make this in a 2 piece 10" tart pan because it is very easy to serve and makes a pretty presentation, but any 9" or 10" pie plate would work well also.

(1) 9" or 10" single pie crust, placed into a tart pan (or pie plate) and chilled until the apples are ready.

6 Granny Smith apples (see note)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar packed
¼ cup all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

TOPPING
2/3 cup light brown sugar packed
2/3 cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter
½ cup chopped walnuts

Peel and core the apples and slice them very thinly. Blanche the apples in boiling water for one to two minutes (depending on how thin you cut them). Don't cook the apples all the way through, they should still be slightly crunchy.

Drain very well and add the sugars, flour and spices (stir to coat evenly).

Make the topping: mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and cut in the cold butter until it is crumbly, stir in nuts. Place apple mixture into chilled crust and spread with topping mixture.

Bake in preheated 375 oven for 40-45 minutes or until the filling looks bubbly. Cool before serving (see note).

NOTE: I like to serve this before it has completely cooled. When it has cooled down enough so that I can hold my hand (without burning it) on the bottom of the pie pan, it is time to eat it. I serve it with vanilla ice cream.

NOTE: I cut the peeled and cored apples into quarters and then cut the quarters in half before I start slicing them. This gives me smaller slices that work well with this crisp recipe.

NOTE: I encourage you to use freshly grated nutmeg if possible, it makes a WORLD of difference (so mellow compared to pre-ground nutmeg).

NOTE: Place your unbaked apple crisp on a cookie sheet before putting it into the oven. The heat from the cookie sheet will help brown the bottom of the pie crust. It will also help with any potential spill-overs.

CRANBERRY SAUCE

CRANBERRY SAUCE

I have been trying out various side dishes and condiments with Thanksgiving in mind. Lately, I've been trying out cranberry sauce recipes. If you follow my blog, you know my dear sweet Hubby is a "purist" when it comes to a lot of all foods. Actually, that just means he is very picky eater and doesn't like a lot of "extras" in what he eats. This simple cranberry sauce really fills that bill; he loves it and has asked me to stock up on cranberries for the freezer, with this recipe in mind.

Three Simple Ingredients:
12 ounces fresh cranberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pineapple juice (or orange juice)

Wash and sort the berries,  throwing away any light pink or mushy berries.

Put all ingredients into a heavy bottomed (non-aluminum) sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to a medium simmer and cook the berries (stirring berries about once a minute). When they first start to boil, the berries will actually pop (you will hear it), so cover the popping berries with a splatter screen to reduce any mess.

After the popping noise stops, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the cranberries for about 10 minutes.

If you like whole berries in your cranberry sauce, just pour everything into a bowl and chill for a few hours.

For  Picky-picky Hubby, I press the sauce through a strainer to remove the berry skins and seeds. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

 
UPDATE: Since I posted this, I've discovered that using half white sugar and half brown sugar is a fantastic addition.

CLASSIC PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

I have been making this classic cookie for so long (and so often) that I no longer need a recipe. It has been my "go to" cookie for decades. It is sweet, crispy (but not hard) and light as air. A great cookie for the lunch box, bake sale or to send off to your college freshman.

In a stand mixer, cream together:

½ cup butter flavor Crisco (no exceptions)
½ cup extra crunch peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon good vanilla
½ cup dark brown sugar packed
½ cup white sugar
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When this has been creamed thoroughly, beat in 1 & ¼ cups white flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon baking soda. Beat well.

Roll dough into 1" balls and roll them in white table sugar. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet about 2" apart. Flatten with fork tines in a criss cross pattern. Bake in pre-heated 375 oven for 10-12 minutes (11 minutes is perfect in my oven).
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NOTE: I've made this recipe using butter instead of the butter flavored Crisco and it produces an entirely different texture. It is no longer a "light as air" cookie and it gets very flat and thin. I hope you will try it with the butter flavored Crisco.
NOTE: If you do not have parchment paper, bake them on an UNgreased cookie sheet.

FLUFFY WHITE FROSTING

This is a fantastic frosting recipe, for many reasons. First of all, it is delicious. After that, it is super easy, super quick, it takes no special ingredients, it is pretty to look at and it is very versatile. It is a classic.

 In a large  GLASS OR METAL bowl, put two egg whites, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon of almond extract...set aside.
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In a saucepan, mix 1 cup of granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar, dash of salt and 1/3 cup of water. Cook and stir until it just comes to a boil and sugar dissolves.
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Start beating your egg whites and extracts on HIGH while you slowly drizzle in the hot syrup. Keep beating on high until stiff peaks form like this:

With a hand held electric mixer, this can take up to 7 minutes, but with my stand mixer it only takes about 4 minutes. Recipe makes enough to frost a 9" two layer cake or a 10" tube cake.

NOTE: To get these lovely big swirls, use a Wilton tip # 1M...it is a huge tip and will duplicate these swirls with total ease...I promise.
Very light, this frosting is a dream to work with.

NOTE: The bowl AND beaters that you use, for this frosting, can have NO TRACE of grease or oil on them (or the frosting will not whip properly...right out of the dishwasher is perfect). A big stand mixer, like a Kitchen Aid, works the best, but this can be done quite successfully with a hand held electric mixer too (it just takes longer).

NOTE: While this frosting holds up well in all kinds of weather, it WILL form sort of a skin over the soft fluffy frosting if left in dry air for several hours. To prevent this, just cover it if you are not going to eat it the same day.

SHORTBREAD MELTAWAY COOKIES

My Hubby has started a new hobby...wood turning and I couldn't be happier. I am quickly accumulating beauties like the piece below which is made out of birch (he harvests wind-fallen birch and spruce trees from the forest behind the house). He used to teach college level hand thrown pottery, so I'm guessing some of those skills have carried over to his new wood turning attempts. In any case, I am very happy with the results.

Today's Shortbread Meltaway Cookies are quick, easy and they literally do, melt in your mouth.
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1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
½ cup powdered sugar
¾ cup butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoons vanilla
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Cream the butter, in a stand mixer, until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until the dough is well mixed and comes away from the sides of the bowl.
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Roll dough into one inch balls and roll them in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and lightly press down with a fork. Bake at 350F for 10 to 12 minutes or until the outside edges of the cookie start to turn golden. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

TACO SEASONING

Make your own taco seasoning!! It is simple, quick, cheap and useful for almost anything. I use it on steak fajitas, tacos, Spanish rice, chicken and much more. It is so much more convenient (and tasty) than the commercial packets.

 In a bowl, mix together:
12 teaspoons chili powder
8 teaspoons paprika (not the spicy kind)
8 teaspoons ground cumin
6 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder (not salt)
¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1 tablespoon beef bullion granules

Mix well and store in a tightly covered jar. Can be used as a dry rub or if you are making taco's, brown the meat and drain well. Add 7 teaspoons of this mix and ½ cup water to a pound of ground beef. Stir well and simmer until liquid evaporates.


NOTE: This is not super spicy, but it is very full flavored. If you like more heat, you can always add more cayenne. Approximately 7 teaspoons of this mixture will season a pound of ground beef.
NOTE: If you don't want to make a whole jar of seasoning...just divide this recipe by 4.

BEEF POT ROAST (OVEN BRAISED)

I will be posting some old classic recipes, from time to time, for the younger cooks that visit my recipe blog. These recipes are classics for a reason (they are really good) and todays post is a real winner.
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Not only is this an easy family style meal, but it creates some of the best leftovers. Start by browning large chunks of chuck roast, then slow roasting them (in beef broth) in a low temperature oven, the end result is super moist, super tender and super beefy.



4 pound beef chuck roast (about 2" thick)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (14 ounce) beef broth
potatoes
carrots
salt and pepper

Don't let the simplicity of the ingredients fool you, this is more about the cooking method than the ingredients. The final flavor is huge and it comes from browning the beef well before you put it into the oven (at least 4 minutes per side). Cut up the chuck roast into large pieces by removing any large white (fat) pieces that run through the meat. Some of you have commented that meat grosses you out. I hope you are courageous enough to try this cooking method, because your family will love you for it. After you cut the large pieces, salt and pepper them, generously, on all sides and brown them in a hot (preferably not a Teflon pan (see note). After the meat has nice crusty brown edges, remove it from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, saute a medium (diced) onion (about a cup). If you used a non-Teflon pan, there should (hopefully) be bits of browned beef stuck to the bottom of the pan. The moisture of the onions, will help de-glaze these little crusty treasures (where a lot of the flavor comes from). Keep cooking the onions until they turn soft. They should look like this (brown from the meat).
When the onions are soft, add the beef broth and stir to loosen everything in the pan.
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Place the meat in a large roasting pan and arrange potatoes and carrots around the meet. Pour the onion-broth mixture over everything (make sure everything gets coated) like this:

Seal the pan tightly with foil and put into a pre-heated 300F oven for three hours. The meat will be extremely tender and moist and there will be enough broth to make a gravy (or we like the broth just spooned over the meat and potatoes); just make sure you have lots of crusty bread to dip in the broth.
NOTE: If you use a teflon pan, your meat will not leave those wonderful browned bits in the bottom of the pan, thats why I like to use a non-teflon pan to brown.
.NOTE: Leftovers make delicious cold sandwiches, beef & cheese burritos, barbecue beef sandwiches, etc.

NOTE: This recipe can be done in the crock pot, but it is just never quite as moist as it is when cooked in a 300F oven for 3 hours.

NOTE: We are purists when it comes to beef pot roast. I've tried adding herbs and other flavorings, but Hubby likes this simple recipe the best. If you want to liven up the taste with herbs, garlic, etc, go for it.

CLASSIC CHICKEN-RICE BAKE

I think all cooks have their own version of this baked chicken and rice recipe. Some people use cream soups, some use broth, but they all call for baking chicken and rice together in the oven. This is our version (my favorite part is the rice). I usually put in tons more chicken than the recipe calls for, because it is a "freebie" way of making sandwich fixings (not to mention, chicken cooked this way has a wonderful flavor).
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4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons chicken bullion granules
1 cup raw long grain white rice
½ teaspoon black pepper
¾ teaspoon poultry seasoning (see note)
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
16 ounce bag frozen peas and carrots
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Brown the chicken breasts in a couple tablespoons of butter then set them aside. In the same pan that you browned the chicken in, saute the onion and celery until tender, then stir in the raw rice (you stir in the rice so that it will get coated with butter and not stick together while baking). Once the rice has sauteed for a minute or so, add the soup, stock, chicken bullion and spices. Whisk until smooth. Pour this mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish and stir to distribute the rice evenly. Set the browned chicken on top of the rice (push it down into the liquid a little) and top the whole casserole with frozen peas and carrots. Cover tightly and bake at 325F for 1½ hours (if the chicken breasts are large).
 

NOTE: I don't buy poultry seasoning because I use it so seldom and it goes to waste. Instead, I use equal parts of dry rosemary, rubbed sage leaf and thyme leaves and a pinch of marjoram. I grind these together then measure ¾ teaspoon.

CLASSIC BAKED CHICKEN

It seems there are two schools of thought when it comes to baking a chicken. Either you are an "old hand" at it...... OR you have avoided trying it because (even the thought of) touching the raw chicken carcass freaks you out. If the "freaking out" part sounds familiar, this post is for YOU!! It really is easy to do and opens up a whole world of recipes.

First of all, I do admit that it is hard to beat a rotisserie chicken for convenience (and they taste pretty good too), but they aren't cheap and require ANOTHER trip to the market.

I buy whole chickens when they are on sale and freeze them. It takes 2-3 days to thaw a big raw-frozen chicken in the refrigerator, so plan ahead.

I used to bake chickens whole (like you would a turkey), but I was GROSSED OUT by the empty chicken cavity that filled with unappetizing-colored mystery juices as it baked (shudder). To remedy that, I split the chicken open, removing the backbone so the chicken could lay flat while it baked. Not only does it speed up the baking time, but it is just so much more civilized (wink).

Start off with a whole thawed chicken that is 3 to 4 pounds. Remove it from the wrapper and use SHARP kitchen scissors to cut down along each side of the backbone (neck to tail) of the chicken. You can do this step with a sharp knife, but it is safer and easier with kitchen shears. Remove the backbone and discard (or see note). 

Once the backbone is removed, rinse the chicken thoroughly in running cold water, then blot dry with paper towels.

At this stage, the chicken still won't want to "lay flat" like in the photo  below. To get it to do that, turn the chicken over so you can see the breast bone; make a small cut at the center-top of the breast bone and flex that bone with your hands, it will easily lay out flat. Sounds complicated (but it isn't) and it just takes a second to do.

Ready for the Oven

Brush the chicken skin, lightly, with butter and sprinkle with a little onion powder and dried (and crushed) rosemary (see note) then generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Surround with favorite veggies if you like (but not necessary). If you have a nice big roasting pan, leave out the veggies and bake TWO of these fat hens at the same time. You'll have enough chicken on hand (for sandwiches, salads, quick dinners, etc.) for the whole week, not to mention lots of broth for gravy!!

Bake, uncovered, in pre-heated 400° oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, reduce the oven to 375° and bake for one more hour.

Remove chicken from oven and spoon any pan juices over the chicken. Cover loosely with foil and let the meat rest for five to ten minutes. This produces a VERY tender and juicy chicken.

CAUTION: It doesn't matter what store you get your chicken from or what brand you buy; you still need to be very careful about cross-contamination when it comes to RAW chicken: WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER HANDLING RAW CHICKEN !!!

ANYTHING that touches raw chicken (from your hands, to utensils, to cutting boards, to dish towels and sinks) needs to be washed thoroughly with warm soapy water before you touch ANYTHING else. I go a step farther and use a bleach based kitchen cleaner on all surfaces after preparing chicken.  Personally, I worry about this step being ignored when it comes to deli roasted chicken.


NOTE: The backbone that you removed makes GREAT chicken stock. Keep a re-sealable bag in the freezer and throw the backbones in there. When you get half dozen or so, you can make a fantastic chicken stock by throwing them into the crock pot with 2 quarts of water and some onion, celery, carrots and peppercorns; let it cook on low all night. The next morning, strain and let it cool and skim off any fat. You can either use this right away or freeze it. It is WORLDS BETTER than canned chicken broth!!

NOTE: Rosemary goes wonderfully with baked chicken, it sort of tastes like stuffing to me. It looks like hard pine needles, so I crush mine up before I put it on the raw chicken.

 

 ENJOY !!

FIVE STAR CHOCOLATE FUDGE GLAZE

Once you try this very simple, chocolate fudge glaze, you will be sold on it. I use it for a wide variety of things because it just takes a minute to whip up, it is delicious and provides a thick shiny glaze. I pour it on brownies while they are still hot & in the pan. You can dip cupcakes or cookies into it or pour it over a cake. It is thick, sweet, super smooth and even stays shiny after it dries (very pretty). I hope you try it. If you find some new, unique use for this glaze, please let me know. Sorry about todays poor photo quality, these photos were taken in a hurry.
½ cup light corn syrup (like Karo)
5 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons butter

Bring these three ingredients to a full boil, and boil for 20 seconds. Remove from heat and add: 12 ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Stir until melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature before you use it.

NOTE: I have not tried it, but I do not see any reason that you could not use ANY flavor baking chips for this recipe...I believe white chocolate would be very pretty.

NOTE: This glaze does not dry to the touch until the next day, so I wouldn't use this on anything that you have to pack for shipping.

CLASSIC PECAN TASSIE

Almost everyone has their own favorite version of a pecan tassie, the classic Christmas treat. However, for those who don't, this is a great one. Pecan tassies are a bite size pecan pie in a cream cheese pastry crust. I used to make them only at Christmas, but they have become one of Hubby's favorites, so I make them throughout the year. This recipe makes 4 dozen and freezes well.

PASTRY CRUST
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
6 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour

Cream the butter and cream cheese (with electric mixer) until it is light and fluffy. Add the flour and beat until the dough comes cleanly away from the inside walls of your mixing bowl. Flatten dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for one hour (I NEVER chill this dough, it is a dream to work with).

FILLING
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Beat the eggs until very well mixed and lemon colored. Stir in everything else.

ASSEMBLY
Roll pastry into 1 inch balls and place them into an ungreased mini-muffin pan. Using your fingers, press the balls of dough into the bottom of each cup and up the sides. (I use the floured end of my rolling pin to press the dough into place). Put a few chopped pecans in the bottom of each pastry shell and top with about a tablespoon of filling. (see note)

 Bake in pre-heated 375F oven for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the filling is set, yet still a little soft in the center. Remove from oven and sit the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before you try to lift them out. Lift tassies out of pan and cool on a wire rack.

NOTE: Keep in mind that the filling puffs as it bakes, so don't overfill the unbaked shells. If you overfill them, they will be hard to get out of the pans. For those stubborn tassies, use the tip of a knife to help you lift them out of the pan.

 

BACON MACARONI & CHEESE

This recipe has evolved over the years, to what it is today; one of our (my) favorite side dishes. It's just your basic mac and cheese with a few small tweaks. I've tried it with almost every kind of cheese you can think of and I still like good old American cheese the best.

2 cups mini-penne pasta
4 cups chicken broth
¼ cup finely minced onions, sauteed
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, carrots)
5 strips of bacon fried and crumbled
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon ground dry mustard
2 teaspoons dry parsley flakes (opt.)
2¼ cups milk
1 cup diced American cheese
bread crumbs and butter

Saute the finely minced onions until they are tender and sweet, set aside. Boil the pasta and vegetables (together) in the chicken broth until tender, then drain and stir a little butter into the pasta-veggies and set aside.

In a sauce pan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter then stir in 3 tablespoons of flour, parsley, pepper and dry mustard. Stir and cook very slowly (let it just bubble) for about a minute, then add the milk, sauteed onions and bacon (whisk like crazy when you first start to add the milk to avoid any lumps). Stir and cook this sauce until it thickens. Remove from heat and add the cheese. After it sits for a few minutes, stir and the cheese should be mostly melted. Pour over the pasta and veggies and mix well.

 Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish and top with bread crumbs (see note). Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until bubbly.

NOTE: Place 2 cups of plain dry bread crumbs in a frying pan and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Toast over medium high heat (stirring) until bread crumbs have absorbed all of the butter and the crumbs are golden. Spread evenly over the macaroni and cheese before putting in oven.

CREAM CHEESE SPRITZ COOKIES

Spritz cookies are one of the simplest cookies you will find and they come in many flavors. Our favorites are chocolate, butter and cream cheese. Traditionally, they are shaped with a cookie press, but if you do not have a cookie press, you can shape them in 1" balls and flatten them with a flat bottomed glass dipped in sugar. They are crispy, sweet and light as air.

 

 

2½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup butter (room temperature)
3 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup white sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Beat the butter, cream cheese and sugar until it is light and fluffy (about 3 or 4 minutes). Beat in egg yolk and extracts. Add flour ½ cup at a time until well blended. Dough will be quite stiff.

Roll dough into logs and place in your cookie press (follow cookie press directions). If you do not have a cookie press, just roll them into 1" balls and flatten with a fork or the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Bake cookies at 375 for 10 to 12 minute

Hubby likes his plain, like this:

CLASSIC STUFFED POTATOES

I think almost everyone has their own version of stuffed baked potatoes, but for those who don't, I hope you will try this recipe. It is such a versatile dish that you can add just about any ingredient to this recipe to suite your tastes. My favorite version has crisp bacon, sauteed onions, broccoli, cheese, sour cream and butter. It is an excellent side dish for dinner guests because you can make these early in the day and then just heat them up while you are grilling the main course. Stuffed potatoes and a small salad also make a wonderful meal all by themselves.

3 large baking potatoes (1 pound each)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup of butter (divided)
1/2 cup light cream (or less)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
3 slices bacon fried crisp and drained
1 cup broccoli chopped small

Wash and dry baking potatoes. Bake them (unwrapped) in a 375 degree oven for about one hour and 20 minutes or until easily pierced with a knife. Let the potatoes cool until you can handle them or use a oven glove to protect your hands. Cut potatoes in half, lengthwise; carefully scoop out pulp and put it into a mixing bowl (try not to tear the potato skins). Saute onions until they are tender and sweet in 1/4 cup butter then add them to the potato pulp. Saute the broccoli until tender and set aside.

Removed a few of the "prettier" broccoli florets to decorate the potato tops and set those aside. Mix the potato pulp, onions, remaining 1/4 cup butter, sour cream, cheese and seasonings until very well mixed. Whip in enough of the light cream to make a consistency like mashed potatoes(you may not need all of the cream). Stir in the crisp bacon and small broccoli pieces with a wooden spoon.
Fill potato skins with this mixture (mounding slightly) and top with a little extra cheddar, decorate with broccoli florets and drizzle with a little butter. Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Makes six half potatoes.

NOTE: If you make these earlier in the day, cover and refrigerate them. At dinner time, bake them at 350 for about 40 minutes.
NOTE: These potatoes are also excellent topped with beef stroganoff or Swedish meatballs.

CHICKEN POT PIE

In my dictionary, Chicken Pot Pie is (should) be listed in the definition of comfort food. This recipe makes a 9x9 pie, packed with chicken, onions, celery, mushrooms, broccoli, red bell pepper, fresh green beans, white sauce and it is all baked together in a seasoned double crust.

2 cups of cooked chicken (bite size pieces)
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups of broccoli (bite size)
2 cups of mushrooms (sliced)
2 cups of fresh green beans (bite size)
1/2 cup red bell pepper (cut small)
1/2 cup celery (sliced thinly)
1/2 cup onion (chopped finely)
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 heaping teaspoons chicken bullion granules
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 & 1/2 cups milk

When I make this recipe, I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cook them in the crockpot the night before (set on low & covered with chicken broth & salt and pepper). In the morning, I take the chicken out and cut it up and refrigerate it until time to make the pie (deli chicken works too).

In large frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and saute the broccoli, mushrooms, green beans and bell pepper just until they start to get tender and reduce in size (set aside).

In a medium size, heavy bottomed saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat. Saute the onion and celery in the butter until they start to turn sweet and then add 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and 2 heaping teaspoons of chicken bullion granules. Let this simmer gently (stirring) for about a minute (this will remove the flour taste), then add 2 & 1 /2 cups of milk and whisk like crazy to avoid lumps. Once mixed well, stir gently until this mixture boils and gets nice and thick (consistency of gravy).

To Assemble pie:
Divide pastry crust dough into 2 pieces (one piece should be about 2/3 of the dough and 2nd piece 1/3 of the dough). The recipe for the dough follows, or you can use ready made. Roll out the larger piece, into a 13" square and fit it into the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish. Lay diced, cooked chicken in the bottom of the crust then top with the sauteed veggies; pour the sauce over everything. Roll out the remaining dough and lay over the filling, pinching the edges. Cut steam vents in the pie and bake in preheated oven (at 425) for 35 minutes.

CRUST
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons butter flavored Crisco
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon celery seed
5 tablespoons cold water

Cut the Crisco into the dry ingredients until it is about the size of very small peas. Add the cold water and mix until everything is moist and the dough comes away from the side of the bowl cleanly. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest while you saute the veggies. Roll dough out on lightly floured counter.

NOTE: Put a cookie sheet (that has an edge) under the pot pie as it cooks, just in case there is a spill-over.

LEMON POUND CAKE ( 5 STAR)

I don't give out 5 stars for a recipe very often and certainly NOT the first time I try a recipe. However, this recipe received my 5 star rating immediately! It is, by far, the best pound cake recipe I've ever tried. It's texture is smooth, moist and velvety, with a hint of lemon. The recipe makes one 10" tube pan or two loaf cakes. I hope you try it.

(1) 8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
6 eggs (room temperature)
1½ cups butter (room temperature)
3 cups white sugar
3 cups CAKE flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour a 10" tube pan or 2 large loaf pans.

In a stand mixer (using whisk attachment), cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth and silky. Slowly add the sugar while the mixer is running, and beat until very fluffy (it will look like whipped cream and may take as long as 5 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each egg. Add the extracts and the lemon zest and mix well.

Replace whisk attachment with paddle attachment. Sift the cake flour into a one cup measure and level off with a knife. Add flour to butter mixture, one cup at a time, mixing just long enough for the flour to disappear.

Pour batter into prepared tube pan (or two large prepared loaf pans). Hold the filled pan about 6" above your counter and drop it (this will dislodge any big air pockets). Bake cake for 1 hour 20 minutes. Test for doneness with toothpick test. Let the cake cool about 10 minutes then remove from pan.

NOTE: The butter, cream cheese and eggs must be at  room temperature (I leave mine on the counter overnight). If you don't have these ingredients at room temperature, they will not mix correctly and your cake will not bake properly...very important.

NOTE: Don't try this recipe with all purpose flour. Cake flour really makes a difference.

NOTE: You will know you have beaten the butter-cream cheese - sugar mixture enough when your stand mixer bowl is about 2/3 full and is the consistency of whipped cream.

ENJOY !!!

FAMILY STYLE ITALIAN PENNE BAKE

When my children were little, I tried to “invent” recipes but I was not very good at it. One recipe that is embarrassing to admit was a combination of plain tomato sauce, ground beef and Italian seasonings (cooked for about 20 minutes) and then mixed into elbow macaroni; that was it…not even any cheese! It was horrid by today’s standards, but the kids always ate a lot of it and I did not know any better. Hey…that was 30+ years ago! I have learned a few cooking tricks since then.

Today’s family style penne bake is one of our favorites these days. It is rich, filling, very satisfying and leftovers reheat extremely well on day two. Served with a veggie, salad and dinner rolls, it is good enough for company. 1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 cup onion chopped
1 cup celery chopped
1 cup chopped carrot
1 to 2 cloves garlic minced
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 12 ounce can tomato paste
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dry oregano
2 teaspoons dry sweet basil
½ teaspoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 pound Barilla mini-penne pasta
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese (grated)
1 tablespoon butter

In large pan, sauté ground beef until no longer pink (drain well). Return meat to pan and add onion, celery, carrot and garlic; sauté until veggies start to wilt. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste, 4 cups of water, salt and pepper, oregano, basil, fennel seed and sugar. Mix well and SIMMER two hours (stirring occasionally). What you want is for the sauce to reduce to a nice thick consistency (do not add any extra water).
After sauce has cooked down, boil the mini-penne (using directions on penne box) and drain. Stir in a tablespoon of butter to coat pasta, then stir in sauce and half of the (grated) cheese into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with other half of cheese and bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese has browned a little, like this:NOTE: Once you get this sauce to the simmering stage, you can put it in the crock pot and let it cook in there all day. If you do that…just prop the lid open just a little, so the sauce can reduce and thicken.

CROCKPOT TURKEY BREAST

WEEK DAY TURKEY DINNER!!

 

Have you ever cooked a whole turkey breast in the crockpot? I did, for the first time, this weekend, and I can tell you I will be doing it again and again. It was super tender without being dried out (in fact it was quite moist and flavorful) and it makes enough broth to make a wonderful gravy too!
5 pound bone-in turkey breast
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
3 stalks celery chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
black pepper

The size of your crockpot will determine how many pounds of turkey you can cook. I've found turkey breasts weighing as little as 4 1/2 pounds and as much as 7 pounds.
 Wash and pat dry your turkey breast. Trim the meat so that it will fit into the crockpot ( I had to remove a little of the rib bones to get it to fit into my crockpot). Coat the surface of the turkey with minimal butter and rub the dry onion soup mix and pepper all over the surface of the turkey. Put the chopped celery into the bottom of the crockpot and add 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Lay the turkey breast (breastbone or skin side down) on top of the chopped celery. Cook on low for 5-7 hours (see notes below).
NOTE: You are going to be tempted to add more than 1/2 cup of broth to the crockpot, but do not. The turkey will produce plenty of liquid (for gravy) and don't worry about an over-powering onion soup taste, you won't even know its in there, but it really makes a great addition to the gravy.
NOTE: Everyone’s crockpot cooks at a different temperature, so you will have to decide how long you cook this turkey. We like our turkey to come easily off the bone, and that took 6 hours on low for a 5 pound (bone-in) turkey breast. Just start testing it after 5 hours.

This is a great (fool proof) cooking method for turkey breast. I can see so many uses for it like extra turkey if you are having a big holiday dinner, great for turkey sandwiches, casseroles, soups, salads, etc. Tons of possibilities, not to mention a great way to have a nice hot turkey dinner without heating up the kitchen.

BACON WRAPPED SHRIMP

Your guests will never guess how simple these shrimp are to make and YOU will be amazed how quickly they disappear; they are an absolutely delicious hors d’oeuvre.

(1) 16 ounce bag of frozen 16-20 count RAW shrimp (see note)
1 pound of smoked bacon (not the thick kind)
1 cup of your favorite barbeque sauce

In our Fred Meyer store, these shrimp are sold frozen (near the meat case). The one pound package says they are 16-20 count “Wild Caught” with shell on and heads off. Let them thaw in your fridge overnight. The next day, remove the shell (leave tails on). With a small sharp knife, make a shallow cut down the back of the shrimp and rinse out any “vein” you see there. Drain the shrimp on a paper towel and sit in fridge for a few minutes while you prepare the bacon.

If you use the 16-20 count shrimp (16 to 20 shrimp per pound), it will take a whole slice of bacon per shrimp. Make sure you use regular cut bacon (not thick sliced). Partially cook it, to remove some of the fat, but don’t let it get crispy (drain on paper towels). It should look like this:

Wrap the partially cooked bacon around the raw shrimp. Starting at the wide end of the shrimp, attach the bacon to the shrimp with a toothpick. Wind the bacon around (in a single thickness) and all the way down to the tail and secure it with another toothpick like this:
Baste the shrimp on both sides with your favorite barbeque sauce (I recommend Sweet Baby Ray’s barbeque sauce). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours.

Line a large baking sheet with foil (to help with cleanup) and put a baking rack on the foil (spray the rack with cooking spray). Place the shrimp on the rack and bake in a PREHEATED 450° oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, TURN OFF THE OVEN (do not open the door) and let the shrimp sit in the hot oven for another five minutes. Remove the toothpicks and enjoy!