It Never Compares to Mom's

My husband has a mom who is a good cook.  Even those of you who don't cook probably have one or two things you can make and take to parties or gatherings.  You know those things that you are known for bringing.  When you RSVP, it is that dish that the host automatically replies with "can you bring your..." 

Me, I make a mean veggie pasta salad. 

With my MIL it's not one thing, it's several dishes that she is known for that are absolutely delicious.  She makes a mean spinach dip, bean dip, and ranch pretzels (dubbed "Grammy's pretzels" and which my children could polish off in one sitting).  After our hurricane party (it was supposed to be a pool party), she is also kown for the BEST ribs ever.  Our guests polished off 8 or so pounds of ribs in no time. The recipe called for margarita mix.  Anything with margarita mix is bound to be yummy.

She's also the one who is in charge of the Thanksgiving turkey and which turns out amazing year after year even though she doesn't measure the ingredients.  According to her, its just a little of this and a little of that based on whatever is in our cupboard.  If I did that it would turn into some nasty science experiment gone wrong.  These are the people I envy since I am not a natural cook.  I need a recipe and a little luck on my side when I cook.

My MIL is also known by her family for her hamburger gravy.  Sausage gravy seems to be the norm here where we live and in the south but in the midwest where my husband's family is from, it is hamburger gravy.  We occasionally gather at her place for breakfast when the whole family is together.

After Family Fun Magazine featured a recipe for biscuits and sausage gravy that looked almost exactly like my MIL's hamburger gravy, I decided to tackle this dish myself.  My husband has been saying forever about how I need to learn how to make his mom's hamburger gravy.  How hard could it be?  (Asks the woman who still has issues using her bread maker).  I had low expectations so I figured I wouldn't be disappointed when it didn't turn out well since I was deviating from the recipe.

When my husband saw the finished product, he gave me THE LOOK.

It was the dubious look that asks, "will this kill me if I eat it?"  Actually, it was the "I have REALLY high expectations and this is so not going to live up to them" look since I have never sickened nor killed anyone with the food I've made. Of course there was that one time I mistakenly used cups instead of teaspoons of salt and instead of baking powder I used baking soda (or was it vice versa). I was making peanut butter cookies and they came out looking like bad tasting pancakes...Hey, I was only about 8 at the time.  Yes, I was using a stove at that age.  Of course, only when my dad was watching us.

I had been worried especially after my husband asked me if I wanted the truth or if I wanted him to be nice.  Anyway, it came out good.  Okay, at least the gravy did.  My husband said I nailed it or at least came really close.  *Insert me grinning wildly* I even have my grandparents as witnesses.

The biscuits were another matter.  They were small.  Apparently they were supposed to be large enough to break in half.  The recipe said it would make 10.  I had 12.  On top of that they were a little "funky".  They were dry.  Some were flatter than others and some had multiple ring marks since I had some little hands helping roll and cut the biscuits with a glass.  The girls had fun and really got into twisting the glass to cut out the biscuits. And if I'm truthful, I hate rolling dough so that could account for the different size biscuits since I rolled most of the dough.  When I talked to my MIL and told her about my foray into cooking her signature family dish, she laughed and said she probably only gets about 5 or 6 biscuits out of a regular recipe. 

 My little helper & the finished product

I can never make my mom's casseroles taste just like her's either.  So the lesson I learned is this: it will never live up to his mom's. Just like my casseroles and cookies will never taste quite like the casseroles my mom used to make and the cookies my grandmother used to make.  And that is the way it is supposed to be. Maybe its because they put a little bit of their heart and soul, a little bit of them, into what they cook. 

What is your signature dish?

Strawberry Salad

One of the best things about going to gatherings with friends and family is trying new foods.  At a friend's party over the Christmas holidays, we were all asked to bring a dish and a copy of one of our favorite recipes.  A woman had brought this delicious salad and we all kept going back for more.  I have the little recipe card from this gathering in my little treasured recipe box.  When I think of summer, I think of fresh strawberries so to me this is the perfect summertime side dish. 

Strawberry Salad

Chop the following and place in a bowl:

1 head lettuce/spinach

1 cucumber

1 bunch strawberries

Wisk the following dressing ingredients together:

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dry mustard

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 cup canola oil

1-2 tsp poppy seeds

Mix the dressing into the salad, chill, and serve.

Easter Dessert: Homemade Kandy Kake (No candy is involved I promise)

You may not be familiar with Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes by TastyKake if you are not from PA or on the East Coast.  They were originally known as Tandy Kakes.  They have been my favorite dessert since I was a child. 

A little vanilla cake (spongy in texture) covered by a layer of peanut butter enrobed in chocolate.  I have one word for you: Yummy.  I am thinking about making this for Easter dinner along with a cheesecake.

You can have a Kandy Kake tower cake (similar to the towers of Krispy Creme donuts I have seen) or you can even attempt to make your own Kandy Kake, like me. 


They are super easy to make on your own if you can't find them at a local convenience store or supermarket or if you want to make this treat a little healthier (without all of the preservatives).

Steps to make your own Kandy Kake:
1. All you need to do is bake a yellow cake (you can also buy a box mix).
2. While it is still hot/warm, spread a layer of peanut butter over it.
3. Refrigerate the cake until it cools (at least a 1/2 hour).
4. Melt 16 oz. of milk chocolate bars or chocolate chips and spread onto the cooled cake.*

 Enjoy!

*I put the cake in the fridge again to harden the chocolate.  I like when the chocolate is hard.  If you like it when the chocolate has more of an icing consistency then you can leave it out.

Peeptastic!

Sugar high, anyone???

Peeps are a traditional part of any Easter basket here where we live (probably because Just Born is a local company).  Their sugary marshmallowy gooeyness enjoyed by all (well not me since I am not a marshamellow fan).

My daughter, it seems, just likes to bite their ears or heads off.  Or pull their ears or heads off.  My grandfather was the first person to give her a Peep last year for Easter.  She chewed on it for awhile.  We have a picture with her little mouth covered in colored sugar. 

This year we used Peeps to do an art project.  I love edible art since my daughter occasionally without thinking, will put her fingers or the object she is holding into her mouth.

WARNING: Do not do this little project before lunch or dinner (or naptime). 

My daughter's little work of edible art.

The Peeps hanging out by the lake.

Ingredients (or Craft Supplies):

• Pound cake
• Icing
• Decorative icing
• Coconut (for grass)
• Food coloring
• Peeps
• Whopper eggs
• Orange jellybeans (for carrots with green decorative icing on top for the leaves)
• Pretzel sticks and mini marshmallows (for mushrooms)
• Swedish fish 
• Goldfish crackers
• Cotton candy (the yellow for the chicks nest and blue for the water)

You can also make little hats with cookies with a Hershey kiss on top or make licorice string bows for their ears.  Afterall, what would Easter be without some Easter bonnets? 

Get creative with your own Peep art!

Do you have any fun Easter traditions that you do with your little ones? If so, please share them!

PA Dutch Cold Weather Foods & New Year Traditions

My grandparents are PA Dutch. No they are not Amish (only a small portion of the PA Dutch are Amish or Mennonite) nor are they actually Dutch. Their ancestors came over from Germany and settled in PA before the 1800s. Many believe the term "Dutch" came about because the German word for German was "deutsch".

My grandmother is an amazing cook. Ever heard of shoefly pie, pickled red beet eggs (I loved the purplish color of these hard boiled eggs), funnel cake, fastnachts, or chow chow? These are some of the more well known Dutch specialties.

On New Year's, my grandparents would invite the family over for the traditional Dutch meal of pork and sauerkraut or pig's stomach. Yep, you read that right. Your nose probably wrinkled as you read that but remember that people eat foie gras and caviar and they are seen as delicacies. The Scottish eat haggis, which I understand is an acquired taste.  The pig stomach, as it is prepared by the Dutch is actually just stuffed with sausage, parsley, potatoes, onion, and seasonings.  It is really quite delicious.  Personally, I just like to eat the stuffing that my grandmother makes and prefer to steer clear of the pig's stomach. In some ways it reminds me of the skin of a chicken, yet I can't get over the unappealing thought of what it is that I am eating.

The PA Dutch see eating pork as a way to ensure good luck for the new year. Some say their beliefs are tied to the fact that pigs root forward.  By eating pork, you are going to move forward in the new year. They avoided chicken or other fowl on New Year's Day.  Fowl, such as chicken, scratch backwards. You don't want to move backward in the new year repeating past mistakes.

What's my family having for our New Year's Day meal? This year we're having ham using my mother's traditional recipe. 

My Mother's Baked Ham Recipe

Ingredients:

• ham
• brown sugar
• ginger ale
• pineapple slices

Directions:

Place the ham in a roasting pan. Poke several holes in the ham. Pour enough ginger ale over it to fill the bottom of the pan.  Layer the brown sugar over the top of the ham and place the pineapples on top. Pour a small amount of ginger ale over the top of the ham.  Cover it and bake according to the instructions on the ham. When checking on the ham, pour the "juice" over it. The brown sugar will fall into the "juice" just stir it occasionally.

I love leftover ham sandwiches with honey mustard to complement the sweetness of the ham.  The perfect accompaniment to ham is potato filling.  My grandmother has always made potato filling at the holidays rather than mashed potatoes.  Ever since my husband and I have started hosting holiday dinners, we now do the same.  We have never had someone not like this dish.

PA Dutch Potato Filling (recipe from Teri'sKitchen.com)

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds Idaho potatoes
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1-1/2 cup diced onion
• 3/4 cup fresh parsley (or dried parsley flakes)
• 4 eggs
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter or margarine
• 3 cups cubed bread
• 1-2 cups milk, or enough to moisten bread cubes
• Salt, pepper and celery salt

Directions:

Cook potatoes with salt until tender. Sauté celery and onions with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in 2 tablespoons oil until tender and slightly browned. Push to one side of the pan; add 1/2 stick of the butter and soak parsley in butter, then mix with celery and onions. 

Drain potatoes; put in large enough container to hold all ingredients. Add the remaining 1-1/2 sticks butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1-1/4 teaspoons celery salt. Mix with electric beater. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add celery and onion mixture and mix. 

In the same pan used for the celery and onion mixture, soak bread cubes in enough milk to moisten thoroughly and heat. Add to potatoes and mix. If mixture is too thick, add milk. Add dry bread cubes if too thin. Also use more or less of seasoning to taste. 

Put in greased baking dish (or dishes), dot top with butter, and bake at 400° for 1 hour until golden brown.

Another one of my favorite cold weather PA Dutch recipes is chicken corn noodle soup.  It is delicious and even better than plain old chicken noodle.  No, we are not serving this on New Year's but I did pull some out of the freezer today to thaw in the fridge. I plan to heat it up for lunch tomorrow. 

PA Dutch Chicken Corn Noodle Soup (adapted from recipe on Recipezaar)

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (remove giblets)
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  
• 3-4 large carrots sliced
• 1 onion chopped
  
• 1 teaspoon onion powder (I use this instead of using more onion since my husband doesn't like onions)
  
• 3 celery stalks chopped
  
•  fresh parsley chopped
  
• 12 ounces frozen sweet corn (the sweeter the better)
• 2/3 package broad egg noodles
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

*My recipe calls for more seasoning that the original recipe since PA Dutch recipes often are more conservative with the amounts of seasonings they call for. You may want to adapt the measurements based on the tastes of your family.

Directions:

1. Rinse chicken and place in large pot and cover almost completely with water.
2. Add some salt and poultry seasoning.
3. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is cooked.
   
4. Remove chicken and set aside to cool. 
5. Strain broth into a bowl and then return to pot.
   
6. Add celery, carrots, onion and onion powder to the broth and cook until vegetables are almost cooked through.
7. After chicken has cooled, remove the meat from the chicken. Place meat back into pot.
   
8. Bring back to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
9. Add egg noodles, corn, parsley, pepper, and salt if desired.
10. Bring back to boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
11. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 minutes. 
12. Add additional seasoning and water (to reach desired consistency) if needed.  
    

I hope you enjoy these recipes.  Have a safe and happy New Year!

What To Do With Turkey Day Leftovers

1)After Thanksgiving sandwich
I had this at a restaurant several years ago and I always have at least one with Turkey day leftovers. On sourdough bread layer mayo, turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. I know it sounds a little weird but it tastes sooo good.

2)Have a salad bar instead of having a big bowl of salad for everyone to share so that you can use the leftover veggies for other things. I can't take credit for coming up with this one. I read it in our local paper and thought it was a great tip.

3)Pasta salad
Use your leftover veggies from appetizers (we sometimes have a tray of veggies and dip for before dinner) or the salad bar. I usually just throw whatever veggies I have in the fridge with some pasta and Zesty Kraft Italian dressing for a quick meal or side dish.

4)Share the bounty
We always send guests home with food. You can also give it away to neighbors.

5)Browse online
There are some great recipes online that call for Thanksgiving leftovers. Some examples include: Emeril's Thanksgiving Leftovers Shepard's Pie, Associated Content Online has some great ideas for leftover turkey, uses for cranberry sauce are on iVilliage, and even Martha Stewart has some great ideas for using sweet potatoes, turkey, and mashed potatoes.

My Favorite Holiday Cookie Recipe

ACU's, Stiletto Shoes, and Pretty Pink Tutus is hosting a Cookie Recipe Swap as part of her Merry Mommies Christmas Carnival. She has a yummy recipe for sugar cookies that can be used to make three different types of cookies. I have a recipe in my little recipe box that I ripped out of a Family Circle magazine when I was in high school (back in the 1990s). My mother had subscribed to the magazine and I would often flip through it at breakfast, not because I cared about recipes, how to effectively clean windows, or how to redecorate a room, but just because I have always read at the table at breakfast. I am a true bibliophile. I will read anything and everything (even if it is just the back of the cereal box).

For the last several elections, Family Circle has asked the spouses of the presidential nominees to share their favorite cookie recipes. The readers of the magazine would then choose the winner of the bake-off. The winner's husband has for the last several elections, made it into the White House (until last year when Cindy McCain won but it was Michelle Obama's husband who won the election). One morning I stumbled across the recipe submitted by Hillary Clinton and Barbara Bush. Hillary Clinton's chocolate chip cookie recipe was made using rolled oats. It sounded yummy so I ripped out the recipe and made them one weekend. They were the best cookies I ever had. They were even better than my grandmother's recipe, which is saying something. They were chewy yet slightly crisp on the outside and chocolatey with a buttery finish. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. That recipe, ripped from a magazine and glued to an index card traveled with me to college, my first apartment, and to the home I now share with my husband. It's a little yellow around the edges and stained with debris from my cooking forays but I pull it out for holidays and when I get a craving that only these cookies can satisfy.

These cookies are a delightful comfort food but also a perfect holiday cookie because they are loved by almost everyone. They always get devoured when I put them out for gatherings.

This recipe is NOT my own and has been published numerous times in magazines and online.

Hillary Clinton's Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (unsifted)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or 1 12 oz. bag)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Beat together shortening, sugars and vanilla in a bowl until creamy. Add eggs, beating until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour mixture and rolled oats. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop a teaspoonsful of batter on to cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Cool cookies on sheets on wire rack for 2 minutes. Remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

I'm No Julia

I read the book Julie and Julia about two months ago. I liked Julie Powell's sarcasm and sass. The biography of Julia Child was interwoven with the story. I was surprised at the outspokenness of Julia Child and her humor. It made me more curious about her life. I know she didn't enter the world of French cooking until her 30's and that she seemed to have a zest for life. I reserved her biography at the local library since the book was checked out. It seems I am not the only one who has a newfound interest in the life she led.

When it comes to cooking, Julia Child I am not. While reading Julie Powell's book, I thought, "I could do this". I had grandiose visions of whipping up some of the simpler French dishes, just to say that I did. Yeah, right. That lasted for about a week after I finished the book and then the desire to do so vanished without me attempting even one recipe. I once heard or read someone say that you are not a true cook if you need a recipe. I guess I'm not a true cook then.

There are a lot of good recipe sites out there. Here are some of my favorites:

Recipe Sites (Quick, Easy, & Cheap)
Kraft
$5 Dinners
Betty Crocker
A Year of Slow Cooking
I can't wait to try the apple butter recipe. Stephanie O'Dea who writes this blog is also coming out with a cookbook.
Top Secret Copycat Recipes


Healthy Eating Recipe Sites
Weight Watchers
Cooking Light
Taste of Home
They have a Healthy Cooking Magazine.
Southern Living
They have a "Healthy and Light" page. I have their Southern Living Light and Easy Comfort Food cookbook which I love.

Quick Snack for Those That Like Parfaits

I like parfaits but I am not fond of the mushy fruit that is often found in the McDonald's version. Too often they're too sweet because of the added sugar. I attempted to make my daughter a healthier version with just crushed up graham crackers, Dannon All Natural LF vanilla yogurt, and fresh blueberries and strawberries. You can also sprinkle some granola on top. She didn't like it, but I did of course. I have scaled it back even more for the sake of time and this afternoon for lunch I took two graham crackers and spooned two dollops of Stoneyfield's strawberry LF yogurt onto them and dropped a few blueberries on top. I thought it would be messy but it wasn't at all and it was yummy.