Lasagna

I grew up in a little mining/railroad town. I think every nationality lived there. It was so fun to grow up with so many different cultures. We learned to enjoy so many different things and so I love all kinds of food just as long as there isn't too much heat in the spices. This is just a regular lasagna but add a few bread stix,  a beautiful salad and family and you have a feast.

Recipe:

Sauce:


6 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
1/2 tbsp. basil
1 tbsp. parsley
2 tbsp. onion flakes
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. sugar
1 pound hamburger, lean
1/4 pound sausage
9 lasagna noodles
Cottage cheese
Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese, shredded

In a large saucepan simmer first 8 ingredients . Boil noodles according to package directions.

Fry the meats together and drain well. Do not add to the sauce yet.

Reserve one cup of sauce to dip bread stix in. Pour 1/2 cup of sauce in a dripper pan (9x13) and spread it around. Now add the meat to the sauce.

Place 3 noodles over the sauce and pour meat sauce on top of noodles.

Spoon cottage cheese down the middle of each noodle.

Add another layer of noodles and sauce. This time sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Add a third and final layer of noodles and sauce. On this layer make sure the sauce covers all of the noodles. Cover with as much mozzarella cheese as you like. I usually use about 8 ounces.

Cover with foil and bake on 325ºF for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes to brown the cheese. If you are making bread stix make them while lasagna bakes.

Bread Stix like Pizza Factory

These are as addicting to make as they are to eat. Not even the grandbaby could resist eating them. He kept reaching for the pan. I only made half of a batch which made 14 twists. I guess I'll be making these again tonight because they are all gone. Thanks to my wonderful friend, Marilyn who gave me the Italian seasonings. She grew all the ingredients in her own little herb garden. A double treat having a good friend and a talented one as well. (I did make these again the next night only a whole batch. Some I turned into cinnamon stix by brushing with butter and sprinkling cinnamon sugar on top while still hot out of the oven.)

Recipe:

Bread:


4 1/2 cups warm water

3 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons SAF instant yeast

11 cups flour

Seasoned butter spread

3/4 cube butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

To make bread, combine all ingredients except only 5 cups of flour. Start kneading and gradually add more flour to achieve a soft dough. Knead for a total of 13 minutes. 

Spray, or grease a countertop, pinch off dough into golf ball sized balls and roll into thin ropes.

Make 2 or 3 ropes at a time before twisting together. This allows them to relax (shrink) before twisting together.

Begin placing one rope of dough across another.

Twist the 2 ropes around each other pinching the ends together to keep it from unrolling.

Repeat with the other side.

Place on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat the twisting process with all remaining dough balls. Let dough rise for 30 minutes or until double in size. Bake stix @ 375ºF for 14 minutes. While the stix are baking make the butter spread by combining all ingredients. As soon as stix come out of oven brush generously with spread and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. For a dessert stix, try brushing with plain butter and sprinkling with cinnamon/sugar. Serve with cream cheese frosting/dip.

Dipped Strawberry Cupcakes

I don't remember strawberries this big when I was a child. Usually when you're little things are huge and they seem so small when you are older. Now to cover one of these monsters in chocolate is a treat all by itself. But put it on top of a cupcake. . .WOW what a party.

 Recipe:

Cake Recipe:

1 box Betty Crocker Golden Vanilla cake mix

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 Teaspoon butter flavoring

1 sm. pkg. vanilla instant pudding

Mix according to package directions adding dry pudding with all other ingredients. Be sure to mix for a full 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after 30 seconds.

Fill cake tins 2/3 full. Bake according to package directions. If you choose to bake without using paper cup liners the cupcakes will be done in 13 minutes for regular cupcakes or 18 minutes for large cupcakes instead of 22-25 minutes. Be sure to generously grease your tin if using this method.

Frosting Recipe:

6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
1/3 cup strawberry jam
4 cups powdered sugar

1-2 Tablespoons milk (opt.)

Beat all ingredients until smooth. Frost cool cupcakes.

Dipped Strawberries:

Wash and dry strawberries. Remove leaves and core. Place a piece of parchment over a plate. Melt 2 oz. chocolate chips in microwave. Be sure not to cook the chips and burn them. Simply put them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds,  stir thoroughly, put in microwave for another 10 seconds, stir and repeat if not melted. Dip bottom half only of strawberry. Set dipped strawberry on prepared plate. After all strawberries are dipped put plate in refrigerator to help the chocolate set up quickly.  Place a dipped strawberry in the center of each frosted cupcake just before serving. If you have leftover melted chocolate drizzle it over the entire cupcake top.

How to prepare and crocket around a baby blanket (boy version)

To make a crocheted receiving blanket for a baby you will need:

1 wing needle

1 1/4 yards each of 2 coordinating flannels, washed, dried and ironed.

1 crochet hook size 6/1.80MM
1 spool matching crochet thread

Lay flannels with wrong sides together. Cut off selvages and square up fabrics. Round the corners as pictured below.

Set your machine to zig zag on the widest setting. On a Bernina, choose a stitch length of about 3.5. Stitch around the entire edge of the blanket making sure the stitching goes just barely over the edge on one side.

Begin by tying the crocheen onto the fabric through one of the stitching holes and tie a square knot.

Put hook through this same hole. Pull up a loop and bring it through the fabric. With loop still on hook yarn over the crocket thread as pictured above. Pull this part of the thread through loop. This consistutes your first single crochet (SC). SC 2 more times.

Chain 3 times as pictured below.

With chain still on hook insert the hook back through the last SC, pull up a loop and pull through all.

This is form a picot.

SC 5 more times then do another picot. Repeat this around the edge of the blanket. If possible end with 2 SC. On last stitch cut thread 2 inches from end and pull through loop. Finish by feeding ends of thread underneath stitches with crochet hook.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

I saw these pancakes on Pinterest that linked me to recipegirl.com for the recipe. I didn't read the recipe because I thought that I could just do it. I just used my own recipe for pancakes, made a brown sugar filling and a thin cream cheese frosting/glaze. So good and so fun. Be sure to wait until the pancakes are ready to flip before swirling on the filling. This helps the filling to stay on the bottom and it cooks crunchy and wonderful. 

Sorry no pictures of the finished product, they ate them too quick.

Filling:

1/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all together while butter is still warm. Put in a plastic baggie. Snip a small hole in one of the corners. Just before turning pancakes squeeze a swirl of filling around the pancake. Flip and cook as usual. Be sure to spray the griddle generously so that the sugar won't stick.

Frosting:

4 Tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

milk to thin

Gradually stir the powdered sugar into the cream cheese. Add extract and enough milk to make it the consistancy of a thick syrup.

Smashers

I grew up on mashed potatoes from a box! I can't believe it. I guess it was convenient on the Sabbath. But instant potatoes? What were we thinking. The real thing is so delicious that it doesn't need anything on top of it to dress it up. However cheese or gravy on top never hurts. Russet potatoes are the best mashers but red and Gold Yukon work just fine. Try a combination for different textures.

Recipe:

6 potatoes
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup salted butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic granules
salt and pepper
milk
Cheddar cheese, grated

Scrub potatoes, do not peel. Remove eyes but do not peel. I usually just throw my potatoes in the pan whole if they are pretty much the same size. If I am in a hurry then I will cut them up into equally sized chunks. Cover with water, bring to a boil, put the lid on and simmer until soft but not mushy.

Remove from heat and drain completely. Mash with a potato masher, do not add anything yet. (Using an electric beater can make the potatoes gluey.) After initial mashing add cream cheese, butter and garlic. Mash to desired consistency adding milk for creamy potatoes. Leaving a few chunks of potatoes is just fine. Potatoes are ready to serve or can be transferred to a dripper pan and covered with cheese. Cover and wait until the cheese melts. The potatoes can then be served or cooled, covered,  refrigerated and warmed up another day.

Corn Bread

When I was a kid my mother served corn bread for breakfast with maple syrup. My husband converted me to butter and warm honey. Now I serve it with honey butter but really I love cornbread as the main attraction or as a side show. It can be breakfast, lunch and dinner. It can be plain or fancy. Here is my plain version. You can add whatever you want to make it fancy, i.e. creamed corn, dry vanilla pudding, green chilies, etc.

Recipe:

2 cups flour
1 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon basking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1/4 cup oil
3 eggs

Combine first 5 ingredients, set aside. (Mix the dry stuff first so that your wisk is dry.)

In a separate bowl combine next 3 ingredients. Beat well. 

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. (It's easier to combine wet to dry than dry to wet. Sometimes you can get a dry pocket if you pour the wet into the dry.)

Mix lightly with fork. Batter must still be lumpy.

Pour into a greased 9" x 13" dripper pan. Bake @ 400 ºF for 20 minutes. For muffins bake for 12 minutes. Serve with honey butter, smothered with chili, along side any dinner item.

Cucumber Snacks

If you have never had cucumbers on a sandwich you are missing out. These little appetizers highlight the yummy yeggie and are so easy to make but you do have to plan ahead. I use the Bucket Bread recipe from this blog made into baguettes for these but any baguette or small bread like a rye would work. I suppose even a large cracker would be yummy. But the spread does need to be made ahead of time for the seasonings to marinate with the cream cheese. Other than that they are Simple Simon to make. Be careful, they are very addicting.

Recipe:

8 oz. cream cheese room temperature
2 Tablespoons mayo or sour cream
1 Tablespoon Italian dressing dry mix
1/2 teaspoon dill
baguettes
cucumbers

Combine cream cheese, mayo, dressing mix and dill. Let sit in refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight or up to a week. Slice bread and toast slightly. Spread on a small amount of cream cheese mixture, top with a slice of cucumber. Dill can be sprinkled on top of dill for added flavor and to look gourmet. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Here is the recipe for homemade baguettes.

Machine Quilting At Home: Quilting

Quilting on your regular machine is fun but it does require 2 things:

#1 The feed dogs have to be completely down below the throat plate

#2 You have to have a darning foot as pictured below.

If your machine has these 2 things then the fun can begin. Take a piece of paper and start doodling. Doodle small. . . 

 . . .or doodle big. Just never take your pencil off of the paper.

Eventually you can start adding things like leaves, flowers and other designs. Whatever you want just as long as you can draw it without taking your pencil off of the paper. As you can see I'm not a very good artist. I can actually quilt better than I can draw. Weird but funny.

If you have a flat surface level with your machine's throat plate you will want a pair of quilting gloves. I just bought a pair of gardening gloves.

It's best to practice on something like a play quilt that can be taken outside that is simply to pieces of fabric. Then you can practice all your designs and decide which one you can really quilt. This also gives you a chance to check your stitching tension. If the thread is pulling more to the bottom you may need to increase your top tension or decrease the tension on your bobbin. Or vise versa if the thread is beging pulled more to the top. HINT: I wind 3 bobbins before I start on a baby size quilt. It takes at least 2 bobbins when using a medium size quilting design.

You will start in the middle of the quilt and work top to bottom and then to the edges. Tightly roll the right-hand side of you quilt and safety pin it in place.

Now you're ready to start quilting. Be sure to keep your speed even and your movements steady. Make your design go clear to the edge of the front of the quilt. Anything beyond that will be cut off in the binding process and if the stitching is cut it could start the quilting to come undone.

If you don't have a flat surface to work on simply hold the quilt in your hands as you move it to make your designs. When you finish the middle section work toward the left-hand side of the quilt in a similar manner. To quilt the right hand side of the quilt unroll it and then roll the left-hand side as you did the right-hand side in the beginning. Quilt in the same manner. When you finish quilting you are ready to bind the quilt.

Pioneer Pancakes

In Utah we celebrate the arrival of the Pioneers in the middle of the Summer, July 24th. It's much better than celebrating Statehood Day in the dead of Winter on the 4th of January. When I grew up the whole entire community celebrated with parades and activities in the park. Not much happens where I live now so we decided to invite people over for some Pancakes and eggs. We tell them we will serve up all the pancakes and eggs they can eat. If they want something else with their breakfast they will have to bring it but we will cook it, stir it, fry it and serve it up for them. It is so fun to see what people bring to share. Mostly we just share a fun morning of visiting while we eat.

Recipe:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 Tablespoon vanilla

2 Tablespoons oil

Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together wet ingredients. Stir both together. Let sit for a few minutes to thicken. Drop by spoonfuls onto hot griddle. Flip when bubbles pop and edges slightly dry. Serve with butter and syrup. Buttermilk syrup is especially good. 

Pancakes and Egg Sandwhiches:

Cook 2 pancakes and fry 1 egg, easy over. Place egg between buttered pancakes.

Deon's Cheese Ball

Here is another one of our comfort foods that just makes the holidays special for us, Deon's Cheese Ball. Simple yet so, so delish.
Recipe:
2 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, room temperature
2 pkgs. thin, chopped and pressed, sliced beef, diced and divided
2 Tablespoons finely chopped green onions.

Mix all ingredients reserving 1/2 cup diced beef. Form into ball. Roll ball in diced beef.

Karla's Cheese Ball

When it's the holidays you can never have too many cheese balls. This one is nutty and sharp, just like my friend Karla who is very smart and likes to enjoy life.

Recipe

1 5-oz. bottle Kraft Roka Blue cheese spread
1 5-oz bottle Old English sharp spread
2 8-oz. cartons cream cheese
1 cup pecans,  chopped and divided
1/4 cup parsley
1 Tablespoon green onion, chopped

Mix all ingredients together reserving 1/2 cup pecans. With spatula or wet hands from into balll. Roll in pecans. Serve with crackers.

Diane's Taco Soup

In some ways my life is nothing like my mother's or my grandmothers. It seems like we are always in a hurry. But it is usually good and fun things we are hurrying to like school programs or ballgames. But meal time is still very important and when school begins in the fall and temperatures begin to drop it's a good to bring out all the soup recipes. Here is the easiest one:

2 large cans diced tomatoes
2 cans black beans, not drained
2 cans corn, drained
1 small can green chili peppers, diced
2 Tablespoons onion flakes
1/2 pkg. taco seasoning mix or 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning

In a large pan combine all ingredients. Heat on medium-high heat for at least 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream, Cheddar cheese and chips.

Egg rolls with Raspberry sauce

Grandma made dinnertime fun for us. Sometimes outside, sometimes inside. Sometimes on a blanket under a tree, sometimes in the middle of a field around a fire-ring. Now my idea of fun is something new and different. 

 Recipe:
1/2 small head of cabbage finely shredded

 1 pound sausage cooked and crumbled

 4 tablespoons finely chopped onions fried

 1 carrot quartered and sliced

 Mix all ingredients together in a bowl

 Fill egg roll wrappers according to package directions. I like to wet the entire top edges of the wrapper to help seal the whole egg roll.

 Fry in a very small amount of oil.

Sauce is made by combining 

3 tablespoons raspberry jam, 

1 tablespoon Yoshidas Teriyaki  Sauce, 

1 tablespoon soy sauce.