Grandma Cook's Vanilla Cream Pie

3/4 c sugar

1/3 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 c milk

2 slightly beaten eggs

2 tbls butter

1 tsp vanilla

combine flour, sugar, and salt in saucepan.

gradually stir in milk with a whisk.

cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly. cook and stir for 2 min.

remove from heat. temper the eggs. (stir small amount of hot mixture into beaten eggs).

add eggs into hot mixture, cook 2 minutes longer.

remove from heat, add butter and vanilla.

cool slightly then pour into baked cool pie shell. to cool pudding, lay saran wrap on surface and refrigerate.

to make chocolate pie: add 3 tbls of cocoa and 1/4 c sugar to dry ingredients in saucepan.

to make banana cream pie: slice 3 bananas into pie shell, pour pudding over.

to make coconut cream pie: add 1 c coconut flakes to warm pudding

THANKSGIVING!

Here's something fun ... let's all say what we are making for Thanksgiving (and doing) ... since it really is "eat or die" on Thanksgiving day. I'm always interested. I'm sure nobody will participate, but I'm trying this anyway.

We are going to a friend's house and she is pretty much doing everything. But I'm making a turkey breast (bone in) brined in this; she's doing a whole turkey. Gonna cook it in a roasting bag. Also taking a veggie tray and sour cream lemon pie. Yep, that's all I'm responsible for. Kind of nice.

What are YOU making/doing this Thanksgiving?

Pesto

Stop what you are doing and drive straight to Costco and buy this pesto.

 It is so so good. I want to drink it.

Caramel in a Crockpot

Take an unopened can of Sweet and Condensed Milk (regular or non fat),
Put it in the crockpot,
Fill the crockpot with water until the can is completely submerged,
Turn it on low for 8 hours,
Open and use for dippin.

Warning! When you open the can, contents will be under pressure, so keep your face/eyes out of the way of any "spitting". I learned that the hard way.

Meatballs with Sauce on Them

Put a bunch of meatballs in the crockpot (I like the Costco ones),
a cup and a half of salsa,
a cup and a half of grape jelly,
cook on low for a few hours.
I'm not saying this is the most gourmet meal you will ever eat, but it's easy and tasty.

You can serve them over rice, but I've come to realize I don't like rice. It's so weird. I think it has to do with throwing it up while pregnant. (I'm not pregnant).

Emily you could add this to your "grease fest" spread come Christmas.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I know everyone has this recipe, but I want to record it here, so I know where it is.

I. 

    1 cup diced onion

    1 cup diced celery

    2-3 TB butter

        Saute onion and celery in butter using a heavy soup pot.

II.

    Add 1 large can Swanson Chicken Broth (49.5 oz.)

            1 small can Swanson Chicken Broth (14 oz.)

        Bring to a low boil and add 1 cup diced carrots

III.

    Add:  Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice (1 - 6 oz. package).  Rice and seasoning packet

        Simmer on low for 20-25 minutes

IV.

    dissolve 2 chicken boullion cubes in 2 cups water.

    Mix in 1 pt. heavy whipping cream

    Add 3/4 cups Wondra Flour

        Add above mixture to soup pot with:

    2 TB flat leaf parsley (or dried parsley)

    1 tsp. ground sage

    a shake of cloves

    2 pinches coarse ground pepper

V.

    Simmer on low until soup thickens - stir often.

VI.

    Add 3 1/2 - 4 cups bite-sized chicken chunks - DO NOT BOIL  AFTER THIS.

Mom's Zucchini Bread

We went to an orchard last week and I picked a million pounds of zucchini. After we ate all we could handle, I made some bread today ... and grated and froze the rest (in 2 cup portions) for zucchini bread later and later and later. Told you I got a million pounds.

Recipe:

Mix 1 c sugar, 1 c brown sugar, 3 eggs, 1 c oil.  Add 2 c grated zucchini, 3 T vanilla.  Mix in 2 1/4 c flour, 1 t baking soda, 1/4 t baking powder, 3 t cinnamon, 1/2 c nuts.  Bake at 350* for 1 hour. Makes two regular size loaves.

This is the most delicious zucchini bread I've ever had. The brown sugar and all that vanilla ... yum! Next I'm going to try Nettie's Cranberry Nut Bread (in the family cookbook).

White Bean Chili

2-3 chicken breast cooked, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can chicken broth
2 cans white beans rinsed
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies

1 1/2 tsp. powdered garlic
1-2 dashes cayenne pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 tsp. pepper

20 mins before serving add:
1 c. sour cream (best if you use regular, not light)

Handful of chopped cilantro

Throw it all into the crockpot. Cook on low 5ish hours. 

I love it with cornbread.
Jimi calls it "albino chili"

sloppy joes

I got this recipe years ago from my sister in law.  Actually, Jeff and I weren't even married when I got it.

This is a super easy one, and all 3 of my kids eat these sloppy joes:

combine:
1 lb hamburger (browned and drained)
1 can tomato soup
1 can chicken gumbo soup (this is getting a little difficult to find, so I bought some chicken and rice soup, but haven't tried it yet)
1 Tbs ketchup
1 tsp mustard

serve on bun, we like to put cheese on it too.  If you are looking for a good whole wheat store bought hamburger bun, we really like Sara Lee's brand.

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesean

This was a hit with the whole entire family. Yum.
(originally found here)

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I cut mine into strips, to make them into more reasonable serving sizes for the kids)
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 egg, beaten
4-6 slices mozzarella cheese
1 jar (28-ounces) favorite marinara sauce

Directions: Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the bottom of the crockpot stoneware.
In a medium bowl, beat egg. In second medium bowl, mix the bread crumbs, spices, and grated Parmesan cheese all together.

Dip chicken in beaten egg and then toss into bread crumb mixture to coat completely on both sides. Place chicken breasts on bottom of crockpot. Place a layer of mozzarella slices on top of breaded chicken breasts. Cover cheese layered chicken with entire jar of sauce.

Place lid of crockpot securely on and turn heat to LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours. Serve over cooked pasta of your choice. 

sunday treat

i love making treats on sunday. since i'm avoiding chocolate because it makes my babies spit up, i had to reach out of my normal chocolate chip cookies, no bakes, etc and find something in my cook book without chocolate and that i didn't have to go to the store for. i found kim's Luscious Lemon Bars. luscious is right! totally dang good. highly recommend. it's found in the family cookbook. if i wasn't lazy, i would post the actual recipe on here. maybe someday i will...

oh, and i only had lemon juice from a jar, so i can only imagine they would be 10x better with fresh lemon juice. but still, soooo yummy. just make sure you don't suck in the powdered sugar on top when you take a bite like i did. you may have a cough attack if you do.

2 Day Meal: Chili and Nachos

Day 1: Chili.
I like Jamie's recipe here.

Day 2: Nachos.
tortilla chips scattered about a plate,
queso cheese (I get the stuff found in the chip dip section) heated on the stove then slathered on the chips,
leftover chili, (even tastier with time),
pico de guyo for freshness (I just use three ingredients for my pico - tomatoes, finely chopped onion, cilantro).

We had the "day 2" nachos for Sunday dinner, and it was so good and easy. Maybe because it was after church it was extra delicious, I don't know, but mmmmmmmm mmm.

baked zucchini fries

made these last night and they were good!

Baked Zucchini Fries
Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites from Aggie’s Kitchen

About 1 lb. zucchini
1/2 c. Italian-seasoned panko bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (the crumbly stuff, not shreds)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Whisk 2 eggs together in a shallow pie plate and set aside.

Cut the ends off the zucchini and then cut the zucchini in half so you have two short, stubby pieces. Set one piece on its end and cut it in half lengthwise. Cut that half in half, making 2 planks. Repeat with the remaining halves (so you’ll get 16 planks per zucchini).

Stack 2 planks on top of each other and cut into strips. Thicker strips will yield “meatier” fries with more zucchini flavor while thin strips will be crispy and taste virtually nothing like zucchini. When all the fries are cut, blot the pieces with a paper towel.

Working with a small handful at a time, dip the zucchini sticks in the egg, shake them to remove any excess, and then roll them in about 2-3 tablespoons of bread crumbs at a time, adding more as needed; you just don’t want to work with all the bread crumbs at once because they’ll soak up moisture from the egg and won’t stick to the zucchini. Place the coated strips on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all the zucchini strips have been coated.

Bake for 10-12 minutes in the prepared oven then remove from oven, flip the fries, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the zucchini is not soggy and the coating is crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately with Pizza Sauce or Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.
 
Weight Watchers Points:
2 (for 8 servings) or 3 (for 6 servings)

Cheesecake Stuffed Peaches

These are soo good, and easy to make. I found it in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. We prefer them cold or chilled rather than warm, but you can eat them however you like.

A few notes:


I also use a mellon baller to take the pit area out of the peaches because I like to pile the cheesecake in. If you really like tons of cheesecake, only use 4 or 5 peaches rather than 6. I made them twice, and I also tried putting them in a muffin tin instead of on a sheet pan, and it worked much better. You could peel them first too if you don't love the skin. 

Recipe also here.

Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan

Love love this recipe. We ate at an indian restaurant recently, and we're hooked. And as always, I got the recipe here from Mels KC (PS, I think my picture looks much more appetizing than hers).

I also whipped up some Naan. It's soo good. The addition of the yogurt makes it moist and delish. Rob loves it.

Chicken Tikka Masala

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (could sub. paprika if you don't like the heat)
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon salt
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips or chunks

Combine all ingredients except chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and refrigerate for one hour or up to 8 hours. Grill or cook chicken in frying pan. Discard marinade

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 cup cream (I would use half and half next time. a bit rich for me)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for one minute. Season with cumin, paprika and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over hot rice.

Naan – Indian Flatbread

*Note: as with all yeast doughs, I never use the flour amount called for in the recipe as a hard fast rule (unless a weight measure is given and then I pull out my kitchen scale). Because humidity, temperature, altitude and a multitude of other factors can impact how much flour you need in your yeast doughs, I always judge when to quit adding flour by the texture and look and feel of the dough rather than how much flour I’ve added compared to the recipe. Thistutorial on yeast may help identify how a perfectly floured dough should be.

*Makes about 12 pieces of naan

3-4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon sugar
3-4 tablespoons, melted butter

Pour the milk into a liquid measure and heat in the microwave until warm to the touch (about 110 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). If using active dry yeast, mix the sugar and yeast into the milk and let it sit for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is foamy and the yeast has activated. Once the yeast/milk mixture is foamy, pour the mixture into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add the salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour (proceed with the second paragraph of the recipe). If using instant yeast, pour the warm milk into a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the sugar, instant yeast, salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour. Proceed as directed below.

Mix well to combine. Continue adding flour gradually in small amounts, until a soft dough is formed that cleans the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough by mixer or hand until it is smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes in the mixer or 10 minutes by hand.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rest at room temperature, covered lightly with greased plastic wrap, for about 2 hours.

After the dough has rested, turn it onto a lightly floured surface (I like to use my roul’pat for this) and divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, rounding each into a ball shape. Cover the pieces with a towel and let them rest for 30 minutes. While the dough rests, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F and place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven. (If you don’t have a pizza stone, try grilling the dough on a lightly oiled outdoor grill or use a hot griddle to bake the naan – you’ll have to experiment with cooking times but I’ve seen either of those methods used with cooking naan also.)

Once the dough has rested for 30 minutes, one by one, roll each piece into a circle about 6-8 inches wide, depending on how thin or thick you want your naan. Lay the circle of dough on the hot pizza stone and spritz lightly with water. Close the oven and bake the naan for 2-4 minutes, until it is lightly puffed (some pieces will puff more than others) and brown spots begin to appear on the top. Remove the naan from the baking stone and place on a cooling rack. Brush lightly with melted butter. Stack the hot naan on top of each other as it comes out of the oven. Cover with a towel and let the naan cool completely or serve warm.

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Evil Shenanigans