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.