The Zombie...

If you attended high school in the Mount Diablo Unified School District, you were privileged at brunch and lunch to be able to purchase a Zombie for $.50.

What is a Zombie? It is a buttery yeast roll about five inches in diameter stuffed with Velveeta Cheese, and sometimes they would have ham.

Just the word Zombie, makes many alumni’s mouths water and evoke memories of friends, school events and great times.

So for all of you, who might have been deprived of these little balls of butter yeast, filled with warm gooey cheese that kept your hands warm on cold days, this one is for you.

I have made these several times over the past few years and have had several variations in the recipe. The one below is the easiest I have found and too all the Ugly Eagles out there don’t get mad since it came from an Ygnacio Valley High School Blog!Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Cups warm water
1½ Tablespoons yeast
6 Cups bread flour
¼ Cup sugar
1 Teaspoons salt
¼ Cup butter

Small box of Velveeta Cheese cut into 1 ½ to 2 oz portions

Directions:
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add remaining ingredients and mix with dough hook about 10 minutes until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
Dough should be soft and pliable.

Let dough rest a few minutes then divide into 1-pound portions. Roll the portions into logs. Cut each log into 5 equal pieces.

Place your favorite filling on top of each dough slice, then pull dough up from the sides to cover filling. Pinch closed very carefully.

Place zombies pinched side down on parchment paper or a greased cookie sheet pan (parchment works best). If desired, brush with egg wash.

Let rise until almost doubled in size.

Bake @350 degrees until brown on top, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Ham Tetrazzini...

I went looking the other day for a recipe to use up the last bit of ham from Christmas. I came across a recipe for Ham Tetrazzini. I made the recipe tonight for dinner and ended up adding a lot more to it.

 I did not think the family would like it, so I doctored the recipe a bit more adding milk, spices, frozen peas and cream cheese. I did not make a salad or bread to serve with this dish. I sort of figured, they would turn their noses up and not eat it… Silly Mommy!

They of course loved this dish and I about had a riot on my hands when they found out there were not seconds… whoops!

 When I told my husband I needed to go write down the recipe, he said, “Uh yeah, it would be really nice to have that meal again.”

Lucky for me, I made a banana cream pie for dessert and was able to pacify them with it.

I would suggest if you have any white wine, you might add a tablespoon or two. I think it would really bring out the flavors and make it seem like you slaved all day in the kitchen, when in reality you spent less than forty-five minutes!

Ingredients:

Small onion, diced

1 Tablespoon butter

1 – 10.75 oz of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup

½ cup water

½ cup milk

1 ½ cup diced ham

¼ to ½ cup of frozen peas

2 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 Tablespoons dried parsley

1 Tablespoon dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon of crushed red peppers

black pepper to taste

6 oz spaghetti noodles

Directions:

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package

In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and sauté onion and parsley until tender

Stir in cream of mushroom soup, water, milk, cheeses, garlic powder, rosemary, peppers and garlic.

Stir until all the chesses have melted

Stir in ham and peas, turn off burner and cover for five minutes

Portion out noodles and ladle one-cup portions of sauce over the noodles.

Easy Spinach Dip…

My dad sent me this recipe; he got it from my step-mom's niece, Metrina.

Spinach dip is the only way I can get my kids to eat spinach. Lucky for them they weren't subject to hours of Popeye cartoons. I do not know how many hours, I had drilled into my head that spinach makes you stronger from watching that cartoon. The truth is Popeye was right spinach does make you stronger. In June 2012 "researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm said they had conducted a study showing how nitrate, found naturally in spinach and several other vegetables, tones up muscles."

So eat your spinach even if you have to digest it in dip form!

 

1-16oz sour cream

1- cup mayo

1-package of knoor's spring mix

1-8oz can of slice water chestnuts, dice up

3-green onion stems, sliced

1-package of frozen chopped spinach (defrost then squeeze out all the water)

Mix everything until well blended, chill for at least 4 hours so it can firm. Serve with bread, chips, wheat thins, or any other thing that taste good but on the plain side.

When you put it in the fridge, you must say good night to it.

Crock Pot Chai Tea...

Today was one of those rare days that we spent the entire day out shopping. Everyone had received a gift card, cash, or both for Christmas this year. The daughter spent most of her money on clothes and splurged at the toy store for a huge remote controlled monster truck. The son spent a tiny bit of one gift card. Only to discover what he bought has to be taken back, because it is defective. My husband spent over an hour roaming the tool department at Sears, finally leaving with nothing because he could not decide what he wanted. After a quick stop at the house for lunch, I did a repeat of my husband’s performance only at Bed Bath and Beyond… sigh. Sometimes there is too many choices and not sure what I want the most.

From there we swung back by the house, to pick up the kids bowling equipment for practice. The bowling alley was freezing and after sitting for over two hours, I wish I had a pot of this Chai Tea waiting for me. This would be great to serve for at a brunch, if you are having a New Year’s party, this might be good for after midnight.

Chai is generally a sweet drink, but you may reduce the sweetener to taste.
 If whole spices are not easily available, you may use powders. However, you will
wish to strain through several layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter before
serving.

For your vegan friends, you can use a non-dairy milk

Crock Pot Chai Tea

2 quarts (8 cups) water
8 bags black tea
3/4 cup sugar or Splenda **
16 whole cloves
16 whole cardamom seeds, pods removed
5 cinnamon sticks
8 slices fresh ginger
1 cup milk
Optional: more cinnamon sticks



1. Combine water, tea bags, sugar, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks and ginger
in your slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 2-2.5 hours.

2. Strain mixture and discard solids. (At this point, the chai tea may be
covered and refrigerated up to 3 days.)

3. Just before serving, stir in the milk. Serve warm or chilled with additional
cinnamon sticks for garnishes, if desired.


Makes 8-10 servings.

Flat Iron Steak with Peanut Sauce…

This is a nice spicy change from all the sweets and junk we eat during the holidays. I have used steamed white rice in a pinch when I have been out of noodles. I personally like the noodles best. If your local grocery does not have thin Asian noodles, see if there is an Asian market nearby to shop at.

Ingredients:

2 beef shoulder flat iron steaks

¼ teaspoon ground red pepper

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 – 12 oz frozen vegetables, I use Birds Eye brand, broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas and water chestnuts

3 cups cooked Chinese noodles, thin

¾ cup House of Tsang Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce

¼ cup water

¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts (optional)

Directions:

Combine pepper and rub into beefsteaks

Heat large non-stick skillet over medium heat until hot

Add steaks and cook 13 to 15 minutes, turning twice. Remove steak from skillet

Combine vegetables and ¼ cup of water bring to a boil, cover and cook 5 to 7 minutes or until vegetables are tender

Add peanut sauce and noodles, toss to coat

Slice steaks into strips, serve over noodles, top with peanuts

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Merry Christmas!

It seems that I have gotten on a breakfast theme week. It was not planned, I promise, I just sort of happened. I noticed it the theme when I went to add this recipe. So what the heck, here is one more for you!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Servings: 12

Ingredients

     1-1/4 cup oat bran cereal; uncooked
     1 cup whole wheat flour
     2 tsp ground cinnamon
     1 tsp baking powder
     3/4 tsp baking soda
     1/2 tsp salt
     3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
     1 cup apple, peeled, cored, diced
     1/2 cup honey
     1/2 cup vegetable oil
     1 egg
    1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

   1. Preheat oven to 375.
   2. Coat 12 medium-size cups with vegetables oil or line with paper baking cups.
   3. In a medium bowl combine oat bran cereal, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, soda, and salt.
   4. In large bowl combine applesauce, honey, oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients; mix well. Stir in apple.
   5. Fill prepared muffin cup almost full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.   

Quiche…

Double Recipe Day!

My son, Tyler does not really care for eggs. He will eat them, but could care or less if they are on his plate. I have been craving quiche for a while, and decided I would make it Saturday for breakfast. It has been over a decade, since I made my last one. My husband does not care for it, so I just haven’t made one.

I had four of the mozzarella sausage balls left, so I chopped them up and used them in my quiche instead of cooking bacon or more sausage.

I made the standard 9-inch pie and when breakfast was over there was only one slice left. I had one and my non-egg loving son ate the other six slices. Ty told me “wow this is so good; you have to put this on the blog.” I laughed and told him it was not a recipe I came up with; quiche has been around for a little bit.

 For the crust, I cheated and used a frozen one, and pre-cooked it to the manufacture instructions. Like I have said before, I can make a piecrust but it is not pretty.

Ingredients:

5 eggs

2 cups grated Swiss cheese

1 ½ cups whipping cream

1 small onion, diced

4 mozzarella sausage cheese balls / or half a cup of bacon or ground sausage

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

In small skillet sauté onion in butter until translucent

In a bowl whisk eggs and whipping cream until frothy

In bottom of cooked piecrust spread evenly onions, sausage and cheese

Pour egg mixture into the crust until the mixture just reaches ¼ inch from the top of the crust.

Cook in oven for 40 minutes, until firm

Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Stop Your Seasoning Packet Addiction, Part Two; Ranch Dressing…

Did you know there really is a “Hidden Valley Ranch”? The actual ranch is near Santa Barbara, California. The Henson family opened the dude ranch in 1954. Besides the beautiful scenery at Hidden Valley, the people kept coming back for the wonderful house salad dressing; which was the only dressing served.

1972 Mr. Henson sold the Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing to the Clorox Company for $8 million. Clorox changed the recipe a bit before making it available in 1983.

Since 1992 Ranch dressing has become the most popular salad dressing in the United States, moving Italian dressing to the second more popular.

The Henson’s version of Ranch Dressing was made with buttermilk. One of the changes the Clorox Company made in the seasoning packet was add butter. The reasoning behind this was most typical families did not keep buttermilk in their homes. By adding butter, the consumer could now use regular milk.

I did some pricing the other day at the grocery store and found a single seasoning packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing and dip mix was $1.68, but it was on sale at the time for $1.50. Personally for me that is a ton of money when you add it up over time for ONE TABLESPOON of mix.  

Throughout the year, if I used one packet per week, that means I spend around $88.00 on seasoning packets. Besides making the dip, I also use the packet for cornbread salad, roasted red potatoes, hamburgers, roast beef, and meatloaf.

 As I said the first time sometimes, the ease is not worth money spent, and most of us have a majority of the spices in our cabinets waiting to be used. Personally, the only ingredient I did not have was the dried dill weed I had dill seeds.

 I have found using 7 Ritz and 8 saltine crackers has personally given me a better tasting mix. This something you will have to play with and decide for yourself.

Todd Wilbur’s Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix recipe…

DRESSING MIX

·         15 saltines, ground up

·         2 cups dried minced parsley flakes

·         1/2 cup dried minced onion

·         2 tablespoons dried dill weed

·         1/4 cup onion salt

·         1/4 cup garlic salt

·         1/4 cup onion powder

·         1/4 cup garlic powder

Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and mix until completely combined.

Store in a airtight container for up to one year.

This recipe will make 42 packets

To make the salad dressing:

·         1 tablespoon Dressing Mix -- from the above

·         1 cup mayonnaise

·         1 cup buttermilk

Roast Ranch Red Potatoes:

1 Tablespoon of Ranch mix

¼ cup of vegetable oil

2 lbs, baby red potatoes

Roasting bag

Directions:

Preheat oven 350°F

Wash and cube the potatoes in to bite size pieces

Add potatoes to roasting bag add mix and oil.

Massage bag until the potatoes are well coated with mix and oil.

Close bag, place on cookie sheet and cook on top rack for half hour

Transfer potatoes from bag to bowl for serving.

Mozzarella Sausage Balls

I pulled this recipe from a Sorrento cheese package. The question you have to ask your self is do you want this for breakfast or appetizer? They could either way…

When I first looked at this recipe, I thought breakfast on the go for the kids. The more I thought about it, the idea of Sunday brunch with eggs, fresh fruit, and waffles had my mouth watering.

I just pulled a batch from the oven and appetizer for New Year’s party is popping in my head…

I made the balls about 2.5 inches, since I am going to use them for breakfast. The recipe calls for 1-inch balls, which would be great if serving as appetizers.

I went ahead and tried one ball and it was so good, I snuck a second one. The prep on these is super simple. I would say start to table about half hour.

If you make the larger ball, adjust your time, I cooked mine for 18 minutes. The tops were golden and the bottom was just getting a bit of “crust” on them. The recipe also suggests baking on a greased cookie sheet. I was worried about the grease from the pan and balls becoming too much. I placed mine instead on parchment paper. I was surprised by the lack of grease that came out of these… yippee not overly  greasy.  This means you won’t have to worry too much if they get dropped on the floor during a party!

Since I did not have all the mozzarella needed, I mixed in about ½ cup Italian blend of cheese. I also used shredded cheese instead of dicing a block into pieces  

Ingredients:

1 lb. breakfast sausage, recipe calls for hot but you can any variety you want.

16 oz Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 egg, beaten

1 cup of biscuit mix, I used Bisquick

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well blended

Form into 1” balls, place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

Bake for 10-18 minutes or until deep golden brown and cooked through

Fried Apples…

I love fried apples, but do not make them every often. This way it keeps a special food, like at the holidays. I was unable to locate my grandmother’s exact recipe, and with the help of my aunt, I winged it. This comes close to what I remember.

 With fried apples, you can eat them alone, a side dish or even use them to top crêpes, blintz, oatmeal or pancakes.

Yes, you can make these in a Crock-Pot or slow cooker! See below...

If you wanted to make these like a true Southern cook,  replace the butter for bacon grease. I think this is actually how Grandma made hers. I would suggest if you use the bacon grease omit the salt.

Ingredients:

6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 dash of nutmeg

Directions:

In a large skillet, melt butter. Arrange apples evenly over skillet bottom. Add brown sugar, then salt. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 to 12 minutes until apples are tender. You do not want mushy apples, tender but not mushy. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Crock pot method:

Arrange apples in bottom of cooker, add sugar and spices. Place a pat of butter one top of each apple slice. Cook on low for 3 hours sitr gently, cook another 2 - 3 hours until soft but still tender.

Spicy Vegetable and Potato Curry...

This recipe came from Whole Foods Market… I am going to cheat and just scan it in today. This would be great for my vegan friends.

For my non-vegan friends, I have used chicken broth and added thinly sliced chicken breast to give this some extra protein.

 For another variation you could swap out the rice for couscous. 

French Toast…

Did you know that when you make French toast, that “batter” is actually called custard and not batter? Did you know that nobody is sure where the name French Toast came from. It did not come from France. There are some thoughts that the French baguettes were used as the bread and that is where the name came from.

There are two secrets to making French toast.

First is the custard, will taste much better if you make the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.

The second is you want to use stale bread. If you use fresh bread, you will end up with a soggy mess. You can either use old bread, leave a loaf open and exposed to air overnight. I usually turn the toaster to the lowest setting, toast as many pieces as needed and then let them cool.

I double this recipe and can usually make enough to serve my family of four. As it is written, it will make enough for two people.

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup of milk

3 Tablespoons of flour

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 slices of bread

Powder sugar, sifted

Directions:

In shallow bowl beat eggs

Add milk, flour vanilla and spices to the egg.

Beat until combined

Cover and refrigerate over night

Heat skillet or griddle over medium heat, when hot spray with pam cooking spray

Dip one slice of bread into the batter, making sure to coat each side.

Drop bread on to hot pan (you can add as many slices that will fit)

Cook about 2 minutes on each side until golden in color

To serve:

Slice each slice in half across the diagonal and arrange six slices per serving on plate, sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar.

Can be served with butter, syrup or jam.

Golden Amaretto Cake…

I am not a huge fan of Amaretto. This recipe makes a wonderful tasting cake, since the ingredients are almost exactly like the Chocolate Kahlua cake.

Ingredients:

1 box of yellow cake mix,

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 6 ounce box of vanilla pudding, instant

4 eggs

3/4 cups Amaretto liqueur

½ cup water

¼ teaspoon almond extract

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

6 tablespoons of Amaretto liqueur

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend well.

Pour into buttered and floured 9 ½ inch Bundt pan. Bake 45 minutes

While the cake is cooking, combine 6 tablespoons of Amaretto and 1 cup sifted powdered sugar.

 After removing cake from the oven, do not remove from pan.

 Take a knife I suggest a slicing blade and poke holes in the cake.

Pour the Amaretto and powdered sugar mixture over the cake. If the Amaretto mixture is pooling on top you probably need to add more holes.

Allow cake to cool for two hours in pan before removing.

Heritage…

When I think about heritage, for some reason the chorus from Who Are You, by The Who plays in my head. Maybe it is because of the show “Who do you think you are?”

I have been working for a few years on my family tree. I have had a few break-throughs with DNA testing confirming some of my genetic heritage. Some people cannot deny their genetics, others you cannot tell. Part of my genetics says I am come from the UK, France and Germany, the surprising part is my Mother’s side is Spain, Portugal and Italy. I am the only cousin on my Mother’s side of the family, who still has fair skin and hair.

My cousin Eric was adopted; the Catholic Adoptions told my Aunt and Uncle he was Native American Indian. The truth is his mother was Hispanic. I had to laugh at the look on Eric’s face when he told me he was “Mexican.” I told him “of course you are you cannot deny it.”

The best part is my Aunt and Uncle had two little girls before they adopted him. My cousin Lisa and Eric were often mistaken as twins, and people thought my eldest cousin Dana was the adopted child.

I have a Hispanic friend, who I recently re-found thanks to Face Book. I was always sad for this person because they were embarrassed about their background. When I spoke to them recently, I was happy to hear they were no longer denying their heritage, but embracing it.

This recipe is for you my friend!

My favorite Mexican dish is Huevos Rancheros. When we were stationed in Texas, the Mexican restaurant we went to would make it for me, even though it was not on the menu. Chilaqueles (Chee-lah-KEE-less) is a close second.

What is Chilaqueles? Chilaqueles is  Mexican comfort food. It has the same concept of French toast, since it is a great way to use up stale (usually corn) tortillas. The stale tortillas are fried, and then a warm salsa or a chili Verde sauce is poured over them. The best part is when the tortillas are just getting a bit soggy but still has the crispness from frying… YUMMY!

You can find many versions of Chilaqueles, traditionally they are served with eggs and beans. In versions that are more traditional the eggs are beaten then poured into the hot oil after the tortillas have cooked. I like to have two sunny side up, fried eggs placed on top of my Chilaqueles.

The recipe I use is from Spoon Fork Bacon, and is a quick and easy version. I leave out the radishes, since I am the only one in my house who will eat them. If I have any leftover Chorizo sausage, I will add it right before baking the eggs. If you like this recipe, please make sure you visit Spoon Fork Bacon and let them know how much you enjoyed it!



From Spoon Fork Bacon



Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles, drained
2 1/2 cups prepared salsa
2 tablespoons adobo sauce (optional)
1 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
14-15 ounces yellow corn tortilla chips
3-5 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
garnishes:
1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled
1-2 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
hot sauce
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Place oil in a heavy bottom skillet and place over medium-high heat.
3. Saute onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue to sauté for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in green chiles and continue to sauté for 2 minutes. Add salsa, adobo (if using) and broth and stir together.
5. Bring mixture to a boil and begin adding tortilla chips, a handful at a time, folding gently to coat every chip. Allow chips to soak up some liquid before adding more.
6. Repeat until all chips have been added and evenly mixed. Season with salt and pepper and gently fold together.
7. Crack eggs atop mixture, place in oven and bake for 12 to 15 minute or until all liquid has been absorbed and eggs have set.
8. Top with queso fresco, radishes, cilantro, and hot sauce. Serve immediately.

Mashed Potatoes…

It seems everyone has a version of doctored mashed potatoes. My sister makes garlic mashed potatoes to die for but won’t part with the recipe… bad sister.

The British have a dish called Bubble and Squeak. They will use leftover mashed potatoes from Sunday dinner; mix it cabbage for lunch on Mondays. I have yet to make this dish; I am still looking for a recipe… If anyone has one please email it to me or message it to me on Facebook.

The recipe below would be wonderful with steak, prime rib or even lamb.

Chives Horseradish Mashed Potatoes with Thyme Butter

3 cups of prepared mashed potatoes

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup sour cream

2 springs fresh thyme

1 Tablespoon horseradish, prepared

3 Tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

Directions:

In small saucepan heat thyme sprigs and 2 Tablespoons of butter, to simmer. Removed from heat

In small bowl, combine remaining butter, chives, sour cream, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Whip horseradish and sour cream mixture into the mashed potatoes. Do not over mix.

Remove thyme sprigs from butter in pan

Transfer potatoes to serving dish and top with the thyme butter

Happy Birthday Jane Austen!

I love Pride and Prejudice. I read any "what if" or extended version of the story I can find. I do not think there has been any author in history who has left so many wondering what happened after the wedding.

Most of the followers, believe Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth lived happily ever after… what do you think smooth sailing like Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliott? Or just as bumpy life of miss understandings as their courtship?

In Pride and Prejudice, there is line about when there is enough white soup made, Mr. Bingley will send his invitations for the ball.   

I found different versions of white soup you might like to try. Either sounds like they would really good as a starter for a holiday meal.

White Soup

2 ½ pints of veal or light beef stock.

2oz blanched almonds

10z white bread, weighed without crusts

1 egg yolk

¼ pint each double and soured cream or milk salt, pepper,

lemon juice,

Cayenne pepper

2 oz toasted or fried almonds to garnish.

Serves 6

To make the soup, put the almonds and bread into a blender, add some of the stock and liquidize to a smooth paste.
Using a sieve, strain into the remaining stock, pushing through as much as you can. Beat the egg yolk with the creams or cream and milk and add to the soup. If possible leave for an hour or two; this will improve and mellow the flavor.
Reheat, keeping the soup well below boiling point so as not to curdle the egg. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice and Cayenne pepper to taste and bring out the flavor. Serve garnished with almonds.

This second recipe is actually a vegetarian version I found another blog called Out of the Ordinary, I personally like this recipe better than the first.

3/4 cups blanched almonds, flaked or slivered
1 piece of white country bread or baguette (1/2 a cup, maybe? Maybe a little less) de-crusted and soaked in water
2 T olive oil
1/2 a head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 can (15 ounces) small white beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup white wine
2 bay leaves
2 small shallots – finely diced
2 cloves garlic – finely diced
1/2 t. sage
1/2 t. thyme
1 t. rosemary
1 t. basil
red pepper flakes
1/2 t. mustard powder
salt/pepper
dollop of butter
dash of white wine vinegar

pomegranate seeds and pistachio kernals for garnish.

1. Warm the olive oil in a large soup pan. Add the shallots, then the garlic, then the herbs. When everything starts to brown slightly, add the mustard powder, the pepper flakes and the white wine. Stir and cook till it’s syrupy and the pan starts to dry out again.

2. In a blender, combine the almonds, the bread (which has been squeezed dryish) and 2 1/2 cups water. Blend for quite a while till it’s pretty smooth.

3. Add the cauliflower – stir to coat and cook till it starts to brown. Add the beans. Stir and cook for a few minutes.

4. Pour the almond/bread mixture over the veg and beans. Add 1/2 t. salt. Stir and cook. Add enough water to make sure everything is covered with liquid, and it’s not too thick. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer about 20 minutes, till the cauliflower is just soft.

5. Add a dollop of butter and a dash of vinegar.

6. Remove the bay leaves, and blend the soup till it’s velvety smooth.

7. Return to the pot. Add enough water to make everything the consistency

More Cookies...

Ever had one of those mornings when you think the universe is working against you? I see you nodding your heads… Friday was my morning to feel this way.

It should have been a good day since it is the last payday, before Christmas. This means paying the bills, shipping out Christmas presents, grocery shopping and then finding the toys for the Christmas stockings.

I woke up thinking one of the cats was sleeping on my chest. I quickly discovered I lost the fight with my kids flu virus.

The four cats and one of the dogs were on my bed, because they were hungry. There was a commercial on the television several years ago, with an elderly woman and her house full of hungry cats. The woman discovers she is out of cat food, the cats all hiss and the screen goes blank. Yep, that is what happened this morning, and then I remembered I had a can of salmon in the pantry… life saved!

Since the cats are now fed and not threatening to eat me, I grab my keys and coupons and head for the grocery. It is 27 degrees outside, I jump in the Pathfinder only to find for some reason it won’t start. I turn the key; get an rrrrrr tick tick tick sound. The battery is less than two years old, thinking it is just cold I try it again…nope not happening.

 I truly hate to admit defeat, so I call my husband and ask what he thinks. He confirmed it sounded like the battery and I was stuck at home for the day… dang it.

So after a stern warning to my husband, that there had better not be any grief coming from him, because there will not being any food in the house when he gets home at two in morning. I stomp up the basement stairs, to get the evil eye from the cats.

Winston, the youngest cat and the biggest brat runs to his food bowl and starts crying as if he has not eaten in four days. I cock my head to the side to look at him; I wonder if his mom dropped on his head as a kitten and walk away.

The good thing about the day, I got to play with my new stand mixer. I used up all the remaining eggs, butter and sugar but did make a few batches of cookies. I know I gave you seven recipes the other day but I thought I would share a few more.

I ran out of eggs when making this batch of cocoa cookies. Did you know you could substitute 2 Tablespoons of water and 1 Tablespoon of oil per egg? I would not make habit out it, but it does work well in a pinch.

Ingredients:

1 Egg

1 cup white sugar

½ cup butter

2 ¼ cups flour

¼ cup milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 Tablespoon cocoa powder

Directions:

Preheat oven 350°F

Cream butter, sugar and beaten egg.

Add flour, baking powder, milk and cocoa

Drop spoonfuls on to greased cookie sheet and bake for 15min. You can sprinkle sifted powdered sugar on these to make a version of Chocolate Crinkles.

Oatmeal Cream Pie Cookies…

If you like the Little Debbie brand of oatmeal cream cookies, you will adore these. These make a very close knock-off. Be careful these can be addicting to your waistline.

Ingredients

2 Sticks margarine

3/4 Cup White sugar

3/4 Cup Light brown sugar

2 Eggs

1 1/2 Cup plain Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Soda

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

2 Cups instant oatmeal

Filling:

1 can Marshmallow Fluff.

Directions: 

Cream together margarine, sugars, and eggs

In a different bowl mix flour,salt, soda and cinnamon

add four mix to sugar mixture and stir to well combined.

Add vanilla and oatmeal

Drop spoonfuls on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.

Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees, turn oven to high broil and cook for 3-5 minutes more

Transfer cookies on parchment paper to wire rack to cool.

Using the marshmallow fluff, ice a cookie and place another on top.