Sunday, August 17, 2008

Lemonade

This drink is really nice on a hot day. I first had lemonade make like this at a friend’s house. She had given me the measurements at that time; however, I failed to write them down. This summer, through trial and error, these are the amounts our family likes. Feel free to adjust to your family’s taste.

1½ cups lemon juice
1½ cups sugar
3 litres cold water

Mix together. Serve well chilled and/or over ice.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Curried Meatloaf

Growing up our family ate a lot of ground beef recipes. I still like hamburger meals, and this version of meat loaf is quite tastey, especially with the curry sauce. I have modified this recipe from Quick & Easy Microwaving Ground Beef. I have never liked to cook meals in the microwave, so any recipes I have used from this book are cooked on the stove or in the oven.

Meatloaf:
1½ pounds ground beef
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple
½ cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs
2 large eggs
¼ cup chopped green pepper
¼ cup chopped onion
1½ teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Topping:
1/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
¼ teaspoon curry powder

Combine meatloaf ingredients. Shape into loaf pan. Bake at 350°F until done (if I remember correctly, it takes about 45 minutes, depending on the size of your loaf pan). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Combine topping ingredients and serve with sliced meatloaf.

*Ensure that the meat is cooked thoroughly through the center of the loaf.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Cheese Fondue

I love Kraft's What's Cooking magazine. I started getting it in Fall 2001 which is where this recipe comes from. What I especially like is they give you a basic recipe and then alternate ingredients to add. I am only going to post the way we typically make the fondue for my birthday. This is the first course of my 3-course birthday supper. Remember, if you drop your bread into the pot, you have to kiss the person next to you!
TIP: If grating cheese in advance, you can add a little flour and mix it in to keep the cheese from sticking together.


1¼ cups apple juice
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Sour dough bread, cut into cubes
Various vegetables such as mushroom, broccoli and cauliflower, cut into spear-sized pieces

Toss cheese, dry mustard and cornstarch in a bowl (the cornstarch and dry mustard will keep the cheese from sticking together). Boil apple juice in large, heavy saucepan. Reduce heat to medium. Add handfuls of tossed cheese to apple juice stirring constantly until melted and smooth. Stir until it bubbles. Remove from heat and pour into fondue pot. Serve with bread and vegetables.

Hint: If you put the fondue pot in a pie plate of water over the flame, the cheese will not burn to the bottom of the pot.

Meatball Hot Pot (Broth Fondue)

The second course in our 3-course fondue meal we have for my birthday each year. While it takes a while for this course to cook, it is well worth the wait, and visiting with friends makes the time pass pleasantly. This recipe is found in Better Homes and Gardens After Work Cook Book.

½ pound ground beef
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
24 ¼-inch cubes sharp natural Cheddar cheese (1½ ounces) (or try other cheeses that you like)

3 to 4 cups beef broth
fresh mushrooms, halved
green pepper, cut in 1-inch cubes
broccoli and cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
carrots, sliced
any other vegetable you like cooked that can be speared on a fondue fork

Creamy Avocado Sauce
Soy-Lime Sauce
Bottled barbecue sauce
Dijon-style mustard

Combine ground beef, salt, and pepper. Shape meat around cheese cubes, forming 24 meatballs.

Heat broth until boiling and then transfer to fondue pot over burner. (I make one package of onion soup to use for the broth).

Cook meatballs and vegetables in broth until done (approximately 3 to 5 minutes). Dip in sauce.

Creamy Avocado Sauce: combine one 7¾-ounce can frozen avocodo dip, thawed; ½ cup sour cream; 2 teaspoons lemon juice; ¼ teaspoon salt; and a dash bottled hot pepper sauce. Makes 1 1/3 cups.

Soy-Lime Sauce: Combine ¼ cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and dash ground ginger. Makes 1/3 cup.

We have never tried the avocado sauce, and we do not make as much soy-lime sauce as the recipe indicates as it is not one of the more popular choices for dip among us or our friends.

Chocolate Fondue

This is a wonderful dessert dish and the final course of our 3-course fondue meal that we always have for my birthday. This recipe was originally found by us in Kraft's What's Cooking magazine, Winter 2002 issue. It has been modified slightly to our tastes/ingredients. TIP: to prevent chocolate from burning to fondue pot, put pot in pie plate with water and then put over heat.


8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/3 cup whipping cream
3 Tablespoons Amaretto or Kirsch (or liqueur of your choice)

Melt chocolate and whipping cream over hot water (or in microwave. If using microwave, make sure you do not overcook chocolate or it will burn). Blend until smooth. Stir in liqueur (or an additional 3 Tb cream). Transfer to fondue pot. Serve with fresh fruit, cookies, and/or cake (pound or sponge work well).

Monday, June 16, 2008

Savory Meat Tarts

This is another quick and easy dish found in The "Art" of Cooking. What I especially like is I don't have to try to make a pastry crust.

12 slices of Bread (remove crust)
Butter
Hamburger (approximately 1 pound, I think)
2 small or 1 medium onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 egg
garlic
½ cup grated cheese
½ cup bread crumbs, optional
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Butter bread. Fit into muffin tins, buttered side sdown. Brown hamburger; drain off fat. (or use hamburger from freezer - see Quick Tip) Finely chop onion; add to meat. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Pack into bread shells. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Lazy Lasagna

This recipe is found in The "Art" of Cooking, a compilation of recipes by the Viscount Cultural Council in Neepawa, Manitoba. I think this is a little like homemade Hamburger Helper. Quick Tip: Brown hamburger in advance and store in freezer bags or containers.

1 pound ground beef, browned
1 pouch onion soup mix
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
28 ounce can tomatoes, undrained
2 cups water
2 cups uncooked macaroni
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Mozzarella cheese, grated

In large saucepan (make sure it has a lid), brown hamburger; drain. Add onion soup, oregano, garlic, tomatoes and water; bring to a boil. Stir in macaroni; simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese (optional). Top with mozzarella cheese. Put lid back on and let sit until cheese I melted.

I use all sorts of cheeses, depending on what taste we feel like. Cheddar is quite popular in our house.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Deep Dish Apple Pie

This is another recipe from The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes. Bruce loves apple pies. He loves them so much that when he was a kid he would tell his mom, “When we get there if I’m asleep just say, ‘apple pie’ and I’ll wake up!”

1 unbaked pie shell
3-4 apples
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon flour
½ cup sour cream
Ground cinnamon, nutmeg & allspice

Peel the apples and cut into eighths. It takes three or four depending on the size, the pie must be well filled. Arrange slices in an unbaked pie shell.
Mix sugar and flour with the sour cream, pour this over the apples, sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, dot with butter if you want it extra rich. Bake in hot oven 425°F for ten minutes then reduce heat to 350°F, continue baking for 30 minutes, or until apples are tender and the top is crispy brown. The brown sugar and cream will curdle, but they form delicious crumbs and flakes over apples.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Has Im Schlafrock

This has a fancy name for mashed potatoes and meatballs. I don't know what the translation is, but the recipe comes from The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes. Our family really likes this dish, but it is not low fat!

1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, grated
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Make round meatballs, fry in usual manner until done. In the meantime cook potatoes, mash adding 1 egg yolk to each cup of mashed potato, and salt to taste. Roll your meatballs in mashed potatoes, put in a pyrex baking dish, make a dent with a spoon on each roll, put a dab of butter in each hollow. Bake in 350° oven for 20 minutes, or until a golden brown.

Our family tries to lower our potassium content, so before making the mashed potatoes, we soak the potatoes for a few hours beforehand and drain the water before cooking.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Pizza Sauce

This is a recipe that I came up with myself.
1 5.5 oz can tomato paste
1 teaspoon oregano (Ground or leaves. If using leaves, I make it a heaping teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/3 - 1/2 cup water and/or olive oil

Mix together until well blended.  

You can adjust how much water/oil to make the sauce as thick or thin as you like. The sauce is good for pizza or for dipping.

Easy Soft Bread Sticks

I think a lot of my favourite recipes come from compilations of other people's favourite recipes. These bread sticks are found in The "Art" of Cooking compiled by Viscount Cultural Council, Manawaka Gallery, Neepawa, MB
These don't take long to make and are a hit to have with supper.

1 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
3 Tablespoons melted butter
Original recipe says: 2 teaspoons sesame seeds or 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
I use instead: onion powder and garlic powder

In small bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Gradually add milk; stir to form a soft dough. Turn onto floured surface. Knead gently 3 or 4 times. Roll into 10x5x1/2 inch rectangle. Cut into 12 bread sticks. Place melted butter into 13x9x2 inch pan. Place bread sticks in butter; turn to coat. Cover with seeds or garlic salt. (I sprinkle with both onion powder and garlic powder). Bake at 450°F for 14 to 18 minutes.

You may substitute the seeds or garlic salt with any other favourite seasonings.

I have thought of having these with pizza sauce to dip.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Chicken Drumettes

This was a recipe my Mom used to make. It is found in a family recipe book that was collected and compiled in 1991.
I am lazy and don't marinate the wings in a marinating dish first. I just put them straight into the baking pan. However, the wings can marinate longer if you want more of the spice in the chicken.

1/4 - 1/2 cup light soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 package chicken wings cut at joint (discard tip)
3 Tablespoons sugar (approximately)
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper (white or black)

Sprinkle chicken with sugar; let sit 15 minutes. Add spices to soy sauce; mix well; pour over wings. Turn over in 5 minutes and let stand 3 minutes more. Place wings and sauce in a baking dish, spreading wings out. Bake 45 minutes at 350° to 375°.

Serve with rice. Good hot or cold. Can substitute Tariyaki for Soy sauce.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't remember where I first got this recipe from. I have it on a recipe card now. The amounts in brackets are when I quadruple the batch in my huge Tupperware bowl (Thatsa Bowl). Then I roll the dough into balls, place them on a cookie sheet to freeze. Once frozen I put the balls into freezer bags so that whenever we want fresh-baked cookies, all we have to to is pull them out of the freezer, put them on a pan and stick them in the oven.

2 1/2 cups four (10 c)
1 teaspoon baking soda (4 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon salt (1 1/2 tsp)
1/2 cup butter/margarine (2 c)
1/2 cup shortening (2 c)
1 cup packed brown sugar (4 c)
1/2 cup sugar (2 c)
2 eggs (8)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla (2 Tb)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (5-6 c)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans optional (2 c)

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat together butter, shortening. Add brown sugar and sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add dry ingredients - mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoon on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 375° 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.