Pages

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Chicken Alfredo ~by Lydia

This has to be one of our all-time favorite dishes.  It's definitely not a recipe designed for the low-fat dieters. Although, it is my humble opinion that low fat diets are not healthy for the hard-working young farmer anyway.  That is my excuse for whipping up this recipe every so-often, though it is (argumentatively) a poor one! :0)

 Although this makes enough for the two of us plus enough leftover to make a couple more meals, I would suggest you double the recipe for a bigger family. :0)

8 oz Pasta (Fettuccine is most popular.)
4 C Cooked chicken pieces (Use leftover bbqed chicken, boiled chicken, whatever your preference!)
8oz Cream cheese
6 TB Butter
1 Carton mushrooms (optional)
1/2 C Milk
1 C. Sour cream
1 TB Garlic powder
1TB Onion powder
2 tsp Ranch dressing mix (optional)
1TB Oregano
2tsp Basil
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
2tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2tsp water (optional)

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
  2. While pasta is cooking, melt cream cheese and butter in a skillet over low heat. Stir until smooth. Stir in milk, sour cream, seasonings, and cheese.  Simmer for 3 minutes, or until thickened, stirring constantly.  Add cornstarch to thicken, if you like it nice and thick like we do :-)
  3. Mix in chicken (and add some sun-dried tomatoes, if you like those!)
Source: Allrecipes.com

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Guest Post: How to toast toast ~ by a professional

The lovely ladies of this blog seem to be in need of a little assistance. Though their posts on delectable delicacies of all sorts are all well and good, they lack the certain flare a true professional literally brings to the table. It takes a special person to elevate the good to the fantastic, the run-of-the-mill to the extraordinary, the Twinkie to the decadent cake. It takes a master chef to turn the eyes of the general public and captivate them with wonders of the edible kind. Only a true professional can offer such miracles to a blog.

And I am happy to oblige.

Today we shall learn of a secret to golden perfection. Namely, I will strive to enlighten your uninformed brains with a true marvel: I will teach you how to toast toast. I assure you, your minds will be blown.

So let's get started.

First you will want to know the necessary ingredients, I suppose. Simple. Bread. And perhaps a dollop of butter or jam--or both. You may live in one of those annoying families who sometimes stores all their bread in the freezer. Such a one is I. But no problem, let me quickly add a note for those of you in this situation.

If you find yourself ravenously hungry for toast but with a frozen lump of bread in your hands--all because your family wants to add a couple weeks of life to the bread or whatever by storing it in the freezer--you may find that the slices are frozen together. This can be quite frustrating, as you only need a couple of slices of bread . . . but will have to unthaw the whole loaf in the microwave to get them. Keep your cool, for I have found a way to bypass this added timewaster. Simply, hurl the frozen loaf on the ground.

Amidst the shards of frozen bread, you should be able to find a couple slices that remain wholly intact. Pick them up and brush them off if necessary. We can now proceed with the normal steps.

You will need to locate the toaster next. I would suggest searching everywhere but the obvious places for this appliance, and you should find it promptly. Plop the toaster down on your counter; then, insert your slices of bread into the desired slots. Amazingly, all it takes afterwards is a push of a lever--and your journey to golden perfection is begun.

(FYI, if a reddish glow is not emanating from the toaster slots, now would be a good time to remember to plug in your toaster)

Next comes the waiting. The long, hard waiting. Perfection is never without a price, and "the price" in this case is a dauntless vigil over that white box that seems to be doing nothing to your bread. Do not take your eyes off the thing. Trust me, I have learned the hard way. Like a guard over some unspeakable treasure, you cannot relax your vigil, or golden perfection will become blackened disaster.

What's that, your little brother just came in from riding his bike with a crimson scrape on his knee? Ignore him. Time heals all wounds. The phone is ringing? Must not be important. Da-dink!  Oh look, an e-mail came through on your laptop. No, even better, it's a new blog comment!!!

A loud screeching noise pierces your ears five minutes later, and you raise your head from your laptop and the LOL you were in the middle of typing in reply to realize the smoke wafting from your toaster. Ah, it happens to the best of us, even the professionals. The smoke alarm is unfailingly good at reminding us of that.

But now comes the moment that separates the professionals from the amateurs. You see, we professionals always have a backup plan. If there is any discernible piece of bread left in the toaster, carefully remove it (Caution: it might be hot or possibly still on fire!!!). Using a butter knife, set to scraping the black scrap of food over and over again on both sides. A few minutes later, you should have a much slimmer piece of bread that vaguely reminds you of the golden perfect in the below picture.


 Now all you have to do is spread some butter and jam before enjoying this treat! I would suggest you spread the sweet stuff liberally--the thicker the jam, the less of the burned-bread aftertaste.

And there you have it! Words of wisdom from an expert. No need to thank me (your wide-eyed wonder is enough). This is just what I do.

Tune in next time for my next brilliant post: How to make cold cereal!

P.S. It sure is fun to hijack your sisters' blog!

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Pumpkin Chip Cupcakes ~ by Victoria

Even though, at the time of this posting, it is the first few official days of summer, we LOVE to bake with pumpkin year round!!  And chocolate goes with everything, right? These cupcakes/muffins are delicious, fairly nutritious, and are very quick to make!!  They have been some of our favorites for years! 
 
We usually do not frost them, as we like them just the way they are! ;-) 
 
15 ServingsPrep: 20 min. Bake: 20 min. + cooling

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (Your preference; we usually omit them.)
  • 1 cup miniature chocolate chips
  • FROSTING:
  • 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

  • In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Combine the eggs, pumpkin, oil, honey and water. Stir into dry ingredients just until combined; fold in walnuts and chocolate chips.
  • Fill greased or foil-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
  • For frosting, in a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Frost cupcakes.
  • Yield: 15 cupcakes.
Source:  Old Taste of Home magazine clipping

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Oatmeal Bread ~ by Caroline

                                                                                This recipe comes from our beloved Grandma Jerke, who is now in heaven with Jesus!  She also shared it with our church family in the Shoestring Valley Community Church cookbook, and we are soooo glad she did! 

It is such a moist bread, and makes for amazing sandwiches or toast for breakfast. OR you can make it into rolls for dinner!  Yum!!!  


Makes 2 loaves

1c. quick oatmeal
2 c. boiling water
3 Tbsp. butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 pkg. yeast, dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water with 1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
5 c. flour

Mix together oatmeal, water and butter and cool to lukewarm.  Add brown sugar, yeast mixture and salt.  Mix in flour, kneading and letting it rise.  Shape into 2 loaves or into rolls.  Let rise for 1/2 hour.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Baked Ziti ~ By Valerie

For some reason, our family hasn't been real big Italian food lovers.  However, this has been one Italian dish that we all seem to like a lot.   It resembles lasagna in taste, but seems easier to make!

6-8 ServingsPrep: 20 min. Bake: 45 min. + standing

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces uncooked ziti or small tube pasta
  • 2 pounds ground turkey or beef
  • 1 jar (28 ounces) spaghetti sauce (We usually add extra sauce which keeps it from being on the dry side.)
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
  • 2-1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large
  • skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
  • Stir in spaghetti sauce.
  • In a large bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta cheese, 1-1/2 cups
  • mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Drain pasta; add to
  • cheese mixture and stir until blended. 
  • Spoon a third of the meat sauce into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking
  • dish; top with half of the pasta mixture. Repeat layers. Top with
  • remaining meat sauce.
  • Cover and bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until a thermometer
  • reads 160°. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 15
  • minutes before serving.
  • Yield: 6-8 servings.
Source:  Old Taste of Home magazine clipping

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Chai Tea Latte~ By Lydia

 The credit goes to Valerie for telling me about this wonderful drink.  I've missed out all these years!  Make the tea concentrate any time and store in the fridge for up to a week.  Mix it 1:1 with hot milk.  To make the lovely froth, throw the hot milk in the blender before adding tea.

Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate

  • 4 cups of water
  • 4-6 Chai tea bags, depending on how strong you like it.
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Directions
• Place water and tea bags in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a low boil. Turn heat down to low/medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and carefully squeeze them into the pan to get all the tea out.
• Stir in honey and vanilla while tea is still hot so the honey dissolves. Pour chai concentrate in a glass mason jar and store in the fridge. I’ve found it to keep well for at least 7-10 days, but it’s usually gone before that!
Sometimes I like to add a little vanilla syrup (the kind they use in espressos) to make mine just a little sweeter. :-)

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Mexican Tea Cookies ~ by Valerie

The other day, Mommy was in "need" ;-) of some comfort food,
and one of our family's favorite Christmas recipes came to her mind! 
Since we happened to  have pecans on hand,
she began "dreaming of a white Christmas" . . . . cookie!
This recipe has been in Mommy's family since she was a child,
and so it is one of Aunt Kelley's favorite Christmas cookies, as well! ;-)
The original origin of the recipe is unknown,
but of course, there are many different names
and recipes for this particular type of cookie out there.
We just happen to think this one is the BEST!
 
 


1 cup butter
1/4 -1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. almond flavor
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1-2 cups chopped pecans
Powdered sugar
 
Blend with a mixer butter and sugar together.  Add almond and vanilla flavors.  Combine salt and flour together, then add to creamed mixture.  Stir in nuts. 
 
Roll into small balls and place on cookie sheet. 
Bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 8 minutes.
When cool, roll in powdered sugar.