Thanksgiving Menu.....

OK, this year we are not, going to do the traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  Maybe I'm getting lazy in my old age, but I just didn't want to work so hard this year, just want to send more time in the living room with the family and less time in the kitchen.  So here's the menu....keeping my fingers crossed for good weather, so we don't have to grill in the garage....LOL.

Cranberry Salsa with Tostada Chips

(recipe below)

Tossed Green Salad

Choice of dressings: Ranch, Thousand Island, Blue Cheese

Steak 

horseradish sauce/sauteed portabela mushrooms and onions

Baked Potato

(and I do mean baked not microwaved)

Butter, Sour Cream, Cheese, Chives, Bacon

Green Bean Casserole Au Gratin 

(recipe below)

Legendary Lion House Rolls

(Recipe)

For Dessert choice of:

My Apple Pie, Key Lime Pie, and French Silk Chocolate Pie

French Silk Chocolate Pie, My Apple Pie and Key Lime Pie

Recipes: Chocolate, Apple, Lime below

(I may make some chocolate cupcakes for the grandgirls they're not much on pie)

Cranberry Salsa

 1 bag Cranberries chopped

1/2 small onion chopped

1 jalapeno chopped

1/3-1/2 Serrano pepper optional

1/2 bunch cilantro chopped

1 C sugar          1/2 C Splenda works well too

Dash of salt

Juice of 1 lime

Process first 5 ingredients, stir in remaining ingredients.  Chill several hour or over night.  Serve with chips

Would taste great thinly spread on a turkey Panini .

I rediscovered how good a real baked potato tasted maybe a year ago.  I was trying to duplicate the baked potatoes at OutBack Steak House and came up with this, technique:

Wash/scrub your potatoes well

dry them off

Stab each in several places 

Drizzle with olive oil, and rub each to coat

sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt

Bake at 400 deg for about a hour (depending on their size) or until fork tender

And of course serve piping hot, and top with you favorite toppings.

And I'll just bet you won't believe where I found this recipe...Tasty Kitchen, of course.   It really sounds good.

Green Bean Casserole Au Gratin

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• ⅛ teaspoons Dry Mustard
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Black Pepper
• ¾ cups Milk
• ⅓ cups Shredded Colby Or Jack Cheese
• 2 cups Frozen Or Fresh Green Beans, Cooked And Drained
• ¼ cups Butter Flavored Croutons, Crushed
• 2 slices Bacon, Cooked Crisp, Crumbled
• ½ teaspoons Paprika

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Melt butter in pan; add flour, mustard, salt and pepper, stirring constantly until it has a creamy bubbly consistency. Pour in milk and cook, stirring constantly until you have a nice thick white sauce. Add cheese, blend well and remove from heat.

Put green beans in a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. Pour the cheese mixture over the green beans and stir to coat the green beans well. Sprinkle the crushed croutons over the green beans. Spread the crumbled bacon over the top and sprinkle the paprika evenly over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes uncovered.

Now for the Key Lime Pie recipe, I found (don't remember where, but I'm pretty sure it was on the internet somewhere) and made recipe #1 for the first time a few weeks ago and it was so good, but I have another recipe I want to try, so I'm not sure right now which I am going to do.  I let you know...

Key Lime Pie  (2)

#1.   Ingredients  (5 stars, yes it was that good)

          For the crust:

• 1-¼ cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar
• ⅓ cups Butter

  For the filling: 

• 1 Tablespoon To 2 Tablespoons Of Grated Lime Zest (optional)
• 2 cans Sweetened, Condensed Milk, 14 Ounce Cans

• ½ cups Sour Cream

• ¾ cups Key Lime Juice

• Optional Garnishes: Whipped Cream And Lime Rounds

Preparation Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Then melt the butter in the microwave and mix it together with the crumbs.

3. Press the grainy crust mixture against the bottom and up the sides of a pie dish.

4. Grate the skin of a lime until you have 1 – 2 tablespoons of zest (depending on how “limey” you like it!). I didn't use any and didn't miss it at all.

5. In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest.

6. Mix well and pour into the graham cracker crust.

7. Bake in preheated oven for about 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of pie. Do not overcook or get even close to brown! If you don’t get these pinhole bubbles, that’s OK just make sure to still pull out the pie in under 10 minutes or it will burn!

8. Chill pie thoroughly before serving.

9. Garnish with whipped cream and lime rounds, or however desired!

#2.  Ingredients

     For the Crust:

• 1-¼ cup Graham Cracker Crumbs

• ⅓ cups Sweetened Coconut

• 2-½ Tablespoons Sugar

• 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted

      For the filling:

• 1 can (14 Oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk

• 4 whole Large Egg Yolks, At Room Temperature
• ½ cups Fresh Key Lime Juice (or Bottled, If You Prefer)

             For the topping:

• 1 cup Heavy Cream

• 1 teaspoon Plain Gelatin

• 1 Tablespoon Cold Water

• 2 Tablespoons Confectioner's Sugar

• ½ teaspoons Vanilla

Preparation Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together graham cracker crumbs, coconut, sugar and butter with a fork in a medium sized bowl. Press mixture evenly into a 9-inch glass pie pan (not deep dish). Make sure the mixture covers the bottom and sides of the pan. Bake on a rack in the middle of the oven for 8-10 minutes (mine took 8 minutes). Remove to a wire rack and cool.

Mix together sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks with a whisk until combined. Add in lime juice and whisk again until thoroughly combined. Pour filling mixture into cooled crust. Bake on a rack in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes. Cool pie on a wire rack and then chill for at least 6-8 hours or overnight.

About an hour before serving the pie, put heavy cream in a large bowl. Place gelatin and water in a small dish in the microwave. Heat 5-10 seconds or just until gelatin is melted. Add this mixture to the heavy cream and whip just until combined. Refrigerate this mixture for about an hour.

When ready to serve, whip the heavy cream mixture with confectioner’s sugar and vanilla until stiff. Place into a pastry bag and pipe onto pie as desired.

Pictures and reviews to follow on Black Friday...Mari Ann and Shawn have to work Thanksgiving....

Wishing all of you

 a wonderful and prayerful 

Thanksgiving!

it's been a while....

But I have returned today.  For the first time I made a Chicken Lasagna.  I don't think I have ever eaten it before either, but I had some spaghetti sauce in the fridge I needed to use, so that's what I cooked.  I have used the Virginia's Easy Lasagna recipe for years.  I got it off a box of Skinner Lasagna noodles and you can find it on the box today.  I had to adapt the recipe a little but it really turned out great and it really s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d  the one whole chicken to feed about 12 people.  You could use canned chicken if you want but I had a chicken in the freezer I needed to use.

 For Chicken Lasagna

2 T olive oil

2 T butter

1/4 C diced Bell pepper

1 small onion diced

1 C sliced mushrooms

1/8 t crushed red pepper of more if you like it spicier

1-3 cloves of Garlic diced

1 t Italian seasoning

1/4 C sliced black olives

3 C diced cooked chicken

3 C   Spaghetti Sauce

1 1/2 C  Water

1 3/4 C  Ricotta Cheese

2 C  Mozzarella Cheese -- grated

1/2 C  Parmesan Cheese

2 Eggs

1/4 C Fresh Parsley -- chopped

1/2 t  Salt

1/4 t  Black Pepper

1- 8 Oz Package  Lasagna Noodles Uncooked

For For Beef Lasagna

1 lb  Ground Beef

Directions:

Heat oven to 350*

For the Chicken Lasagna

• In a large skillet melt oil and butter
• Add bell, pepper, onion, mushroom saute till tender stir in red pepper, black olives, garlic and Italian seasoning then add chicken, spaghetti sauce and water.   Simmer
• In  bowl mix together the ricotta, 1/2 of mozzarella,  Parmesan, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper

For Beef Lasagna

• In 3 qt. sauce pan brown hamburger, drain fat.  At this point you may add bell pepper, olives, pepper, onion, mushrooms, garlic and Italian seasoning if you wish
• Stir in the spaghetti  sauce and water cook 10 minutes
• In bowl stir together ricotta, 1/2 of mozzarella,  Parmesan, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper

To assemble:

• Pour about 1 cup sauce on bottom of 9 X 13 pan, start with a layer of pasta, then more sauce,  1/2 ricotta mix repeat. finishing with sauce over noodles.  Top with remaining mozzarella

• Cover and Bake 45 min  Remove foil bake an additional 15 min
• Let stand 10 min before cutting

Note:  if you prefer you may cook the noodles before hand, if you do, omit the 1-1/2 cups of water

Later today I am going to take my Chocolate Chip Treasure Cookies (6th recipe down) and try to turn them into Smore's cookies...Wish me luck.

Hoping everyone has a wonderful Fourth of July...

Spending this week with 4 of my grands:  Allison, Sara, Hannah and Josh.  Just got Josh and Hannah yesterday, Allison and Sara are here while thier mom and dad are working.  They are having a grand time, so far there have been no squabbles, but they know they will have to get out of the pool, all of them if any squabbling goes on, it doesn't matter who started it or who's fault it is everyone will have to get out of the pool and get ready for bed.
It's almost 8pm, they have been in the pool since about 5, hope they don't get too water logged. They did get out for a while to wolf down some supper.
Knew when I got up this morning I would be making the kids some special treats, one of which would be pancakes for supper.  They love having breakfast for supper, it doesn't matter if it's eggs, pancakes or their favorite "When French Toast met Pancakes and fell in Love".  But as I said tonight was pancakes.  I just about always use Bisquick when I make pancakes, but I have my own recipe for mixing it up.
Pat's Bisquick Pancake Recipe
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 C milk 
1/2 t maple extract
for each cup of Bisquick.  
Mix well until combined. Cook immediatley.  Batter thickens as it sits you may need to add more milk if it sits a while as you cook.
Tonight is the first time I added the maple extract.  When I first put the maple extract in I thought perhaps the kids would not eat them because it turned the batter a brownish color, but once cook it was barely noticeable.  The kids said they were" the bomb", they all had several helpings.
Today I also made a half a recipe of the Superbowl Peanutbutter Cake (10th recipe down or June 12, 2012 Blog), I wanted to make 12 cupcakes, which worked out perfect.  But when I made the frosting I added 3 T cocoa (probably could have done 4 T for a deeper Chocolate flavor) and several tablespoons of milk 1 at a time (sorry I lost count) till the frosting was the correct consistancey.  3 out of 4 gandkids loved them ... husband liked them too, and so did I.

A Friday night memory from long ago...

Being raised in a Catholic home so many years ago, on Friday the main course was always fish, at school (even though I  did not go to a Catholic school) and at home.  One of my favorite seafoods was and still is shrimp.  Mother, being a Georgia peach from Savannah knew so many wonderful ways to prepare shrimp as well as other seafoods.  This was one of her go to meals when she was in a hurry or needed to stretch the main course to feed my 5 hungry brothers, daddy, herself and me.  You can always add another cup of rice. Add a salad and some bread and you have a grand meal in a little bit of time, with minimal effort.

Mama's Shrimp and Rice
3 T butter
1 med. Onion minced
1 chopped Bell pepper/green pepper
1 clove minced Garlic
1/4 C chopped pimento
1/2 C sliced  mushrooms
1 C Rice uncooked
1 lb Shrimp cleaned and divined
1 t salt
1 Bay leaf
2 C Water
Saute onion, pepper, garlic, mushrooms, pimento in butter till tender and transparent.

Add remaining ingredients except for the shrimp.

Cover and cook on low heat about 30 minutes, Add the shrimp for the last 5 minutes

How long has it been???

I can't even remember the last time I made a Chocolate Meringue Pie...When the kids where little, maybe.  Mari Ann said she thought she remember eating them as a child.  I know my mother made them for all the special occasions and holidays.  I do remember how my meringues always shrank around the edges.  It never effected the taste, but it was always so frustrating, the pie would look picture perfect then, the next time you saw it, it looked like the meringue was two sizes to small.  And the little Gold beads would just seem to come out of nowhere sometimes, never did figure that out either.  But anyway I found this recipe from Tasty Kitchen that reminded me of that awesome pie and I just had to try it.
Chocolate Meringue Pie
Ingredients

• FOR THE PIE:
• 1 whole 9" Pie Crust
• 1-½ cup Sugar
• 3-½ Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
• 4-½ Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
• 1 pinch Salt
• 5  Eggs, Separated
• 1-½ cup Whole Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• FOR THE MERINGUE:
• 1 pinch Cream Of Tartar
• 3 Tablespoons Marshmallow Creme

Preparation Instructions

For the pie:

Bake the pie shell according to the package instructions or make your own crust and bake according to the recipe. When done, set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl or in the top half of a double boiler.

Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Set egg whites aside in a bowl for the meringue. Combine half of the milk and the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk until completely incorporated. Pour egg and milk mixture through a strainer into the dry mixture. Then pour the other half of the milk through the strainer into the mixture and stir the wet and dry ingredients together until combined.

Cook the mixture in a double boiler over medium-low heat. Start out stirring with a whisk to make sure all of the ingredients incorporate, but then switch to a spoon and stir the mixture constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Add butter and vanilla. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot gently so thickened parts don’t stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. The mixture is adequately thickened when you can see the bottom of the pot for a few seconds in the wake of your spoon when you scrape it against the pot. Then remove it from heat and let mixture cool slightly. Then pour it into the baked pie shell. Let pie cool completely before preparing meringue.

Help me, I'm shrinking, I'm shrinking...

For the meringue:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Beat the reserved egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar, using a mixer on high until they form peaks. Then, add marshmallow cream 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition.

Spoon meringue onto the pie and smooth it with a spatula. Bake pie in a 400 F oven, just for a few minutes until the meringue peaks start to brown.

Yesterday's and Today's....

With Cool Whip on top.

This Banana Pudding recipe has been around since I was a little girl, It was delicious then and still is a real crowd pleaser, plus it makes enough to feed a crowd, and if you take it to a potluck you won't be bringing any back home. You can save some calories on this by using Sugar free pudding, Cool Whip and Vanilla Wafers ( or another sugar free plain vanilla cookie).
Yesterday's Banana Pudding
1 Can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
 1 1/2 C Milk 
2 small Pkges Instant Vanilla Pudding And Pie Filling 
12 oz Cool Whip Lite® 
2 Boxes Vanilla Wafers 
8-10 Bananas sliced 


Mix Milks, pudding and cool whip Layer cookies, bananas and pudding top with additional cool whip if desired

Without Cool Whip . Sara will like this one!

Today's Banana Pudding

1  Can  Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

2  C  Milk

4 oz/1/2  C or 1/2 a stick of cream Cheese

2 small Pkges  Instant Vanilla Pudding And Pie Filling 

1 t Orange peel

12  oz  Cool Whip Lite®

2  Boxes  Vanilla Wafers

8-10 Bananas sliced

• Mix the Eagle Brand, milk, and cream cheese, till smooth and silky.  Add pudding mix well.  Stir in Orange peel and fold in Cool Whip.  Layer cookies, bananas and pudding mixture.  Top with additional Cool Whip if desired.

The other day I made a Strawberry Trifle. This recipe was given to me by my cousin Diane Clark who lives in Savannah Ga. This is a deliciously sweet and light desert. Sorry I forgot to take a picture. The pudding recipe in this would also make a wonderful Banana Pudding.

Strawberry Trifle
1 Pkg Vanilla Instant Pudding -- sm pkg
1 C Sour Cream
1 C Milk
1 t Orange Peel -- optional
2 C Whipping Cream -- Whipped
1 Angel Food Cake -- cut into bite size pieces
2 Pts Strawberries -- sliced leave one whole for garnish

• In large mixing bowl mix pudding, sour cream, and peel. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often until thick and well mixed 
• Fold in whipped cream 
• In a large serving bowl (a clear glass bowl makes a pretty presentation) layer 1/2 of cake, 1/3 of strawberries, 1/2 of pudding 
• Repeat, and top with remaining berries 
• Refrigerate 

Notes:

1. I know that I have made a chocolate and a peach trifle using this recipe as a guide. Seems like I also made one using mandarin oranges as well. 
2. Dusted the cake with cocoa when I made the chocolate. 
3. Also made the chocolate pudding layers from darkest on the bottom to lightest on the top 
4. Can be made using Sugar Free pudding, Cool Whip and angel food cake.

Today for Sunday dinner I'm making a
meatloaf. It is a combination of 3 or 4 recipes from Tasty Kitchen, one of them is The Pioneer Woman I mainly used her sauce recipe and the bacon wrap idea. The others I borrowed from were: Mother-in-law Meatloaf, Everyday Meatloaf and Home Style Meatloaf. Then I added some on my own ideas.

Merging Meatloaf, Orange Zest Peas and Carrots,

and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

• Merging Meatloaf
• 1-½ pound Lean Ground Beef
• 1/2 C Oatmeal
• 1/2 C Bread Crumbs
• 1 t Italian Seasoning
• 2 T parsley
• 1 t Basil
• 2 whole Eggs Beaten
• 1 can Crushed Tomatoes drained
• ¼ C Onion, finely chopped
• 1 grated carrot
• 1-½ t Salt
• ½ t Pepper
• 6-8 slices of bacon
• FOR THE SAUCE:
• 1 C Tomato Catsup
• 6 T Brown Sugar
• 2 T Mustard
• Hot Sauce to taste

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• In a large bowl, thoroughly combine all of the meatloaf ingredients. Mix until thoroughly combined. 
• Place on a broiler pan shape into a loaf, place bacon on top of loaf tucking the ends under the loaf. 
• Mix the sauce ingredients together then top the meatloaf with about 3-4 T of sauce covering the bacon, bake for about 30 minutes baste with sause again and repeat about every 15-20 minutes till done. 
• Heat remaining sause on stove top or in microwave for additional sauce at the table.