by jphilo | Nov 9, 2011 | Recipes
Today’s recipe comes from the Shadow Valley Family Camp Cookbook. This macaroni chicken salad is a crowd pleaser on hot, Idaho days. Except for Hiram, who’s not a big fan of macaroni salad due to an over eating episode in his youth. You don’t want to know the details. Consequently, I’m always pleased to see it on the camp menu. This is another easy dish, a nice change from soups and the heavy meals of the upcoming holiday season.
Macaroni Chicken Salad
Boil 1 whole chicken in salted water for two hours. When slightly cool, pick off the meat, chop it into bite-sized pieces, and chill it. (You can also purchase a roasted chicken at the grocery store and pick off the meat. Or cook the chicken overnight in the crock pot.)
Cook 2 cups of elbow macaroni in salted water. Rinse with cold water and drain.
Put macaroni and chicken in a large bowl with:
1 or two cups chopped celery
1 medium-size can of pineapple tidbits, drained (but save the juice)
2 cups red and/or green grapes, halved
Dressing:
1 1/2 cups Miracle Whip or mayonnaise mixed with 1/4 cup pineapple juice
Mix dressing and pour over ingredients in the bowl. Stir until everything is thoroughly coated. Serve immediately or chill for a few hours before serving.
by jphilo | Nov 2, 2011 | Recipes
This recipe comes from the September 2011 issue of P31 Woman magazine which arrived in my mailbox in mid-August. Ever since then, I’ve been waiting for cooler, crock pot weather to arrive. It arrived about the same time as my new camera, so I could try out both the recipe and the camera.
The recipe was easy, and the pork roast was delicious. The mix of apples, onions, and sauerkraut melded into a wonderful side dish. The cayenne pepper added an unexpected bit of zip (if you’re not much on spicy food, cut the pepper in half), and the perogies are the bland counterpoint needed in the midst of all those flavors. It makes a big meal, so it’s a perfect choice for company.
Crock Pot Pork and Apples
1 large onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 1/2 – 3 1/2 pound boneless pork roast
1 32 ounce package or 27 ounce can of sauerkraut
1 12 ounce container frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound box potato/cheese mini perogies (in freezer section of grocery store)
Take perogies out of freezer to thaw.
Arrange half the onions and half the apples in the bottom of the crock pot. Lay roast on top of them and cover with remaining half of the apples and onions. Rinse and drain the sauerkraut. Spread it over the apples and onions. Pour juice over all. Mix together the brown sugar, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle over the top. Set crock pot on low and cook 8 – 9 hours until meat begins to fall apart.
When pork is done, remove to a cutting board and tent with foil. Add perogies to the crock pot for about 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve hot.
by jphilo | Oct 26, 2011 | Recipes
If you read last week’s recipe column, the picture above is familiar to you. Please forgive me for breaking a cardinal rule of blogging – repeating a picture. But until my new camera arrives, repeats are all that’s available.
But, enough with the apologies. It’s time for this week’s recipe column. As promised, it gives two more variations for last week’s basic sweet roll recipe. That post included the variation for orange rolls. Today, you get the variations for cinnamon rolls and caramel rolls. The cinnamon roll recipe starts with a disclaimer: Mom made up the frosting recipe, so it’s of the “about this much” and “a little bit of” variety. But it is scrumptous and so easy I’m surprised more cooks don’t use it.
Cinnamon Rolls
Roll the Basic Sweet Roll Dough into a 12 x 16 rectangle. Butter with 1/4 – 1/2 cup soft butter. Sprinkle with about a teaspoon of cinnamon and a couple tablespoons of brown sugar. Starting from one long side, roll rectangle into a snake. Seal the edge and ends, then slice into 24 rolls. Place in a 9 x 13 pan or two 9 inch square or round pans. Let rise until double, about 35 minutes. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Remove from oven and cool.
To make frosting, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a sauce pan. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and milk. Add powdered sugar and beat until frosting is thin and spreadable. Pour over rolls and spread with a spatula or knife.
Caramel Rolls
In a saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter. Add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup and 2/3 cup brown sugar. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture is blended. Pour into bottom of a 9 x 13 pan or two 9 inch round or square pans. Sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped pecans evenly on the caramel mixture, if desired.
Prepare Basic Sweet Roll Dough for slicing as instructed for the cinnamon rolls above. After buttering the rectangle and sprinkling it with brown sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle rectangle with 1/4 cup chopped pecans, if desired. Place rolls in pans coated with caramel mixture. Let rise 35 minutes or until double. Bake at 375 degrees for 18 – 20 minutes.
Immediately after removing rolls from oven, run a knife around the outside edges of pan. Using hot pads, flip the pan over onto a cookie sheet. Use a rubber scraper to quickly scrape out any caramel mixture remaining in the pan onto the rolls.
by jphilo | Oct 19, 2011 | Recipes
When my kids were still home, they kind of looked forward to this time of year. Along with the shorter days and colder weather came more time in the kitchen cooking and baking together. Our favorite days were when school was cancelled (hopefully, those are a long ways off yet) because we spent the day in the kitchen making sweet rolls together.
With the kids gone and Hiram and me watching our diets, I kind of miss making sweet rolls. So when the opportunity arose to bake breakfast goodies for our church women’s conference I volunteered for the job. Pictured above are four varieties of rolls (orange, cinnamon, caramel with nuts, caramel without nuts) made from the same dough recipe.
This sweet roll recipe is slightly different from the Family Camp recipe & varieties featured a couple months ago, though I used the same recipe for the orange roll filling. Below is my basic sweet roll recipe, adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens All-Time Favorite Recipes cookbook my mother-in-law gave me in 1979. This week, the orange rolls are featured. Next week, I’ll share the recipes for the caramel and cinnamon frosting variations.
Basic Sweet Roll Dough
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 – 2 1/2 cups white flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
In large mixer bowl, combine 1 cup of each kind of flour and the yeast. In a saucepan, melt the butter, then add the milk, sugar, and salt. Heat until warm (110 – 120 degrees), stirring constantly. Add to the flour mixture and stir well. Add eggs.
Beat at low speed of electric mixer for 1/2 minute, scraping sides of bowl. Beat 3 minutes on high. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as possible using the dough hook attachment if you have one. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead and work in enough extra flour to make the a moderately stiff dough. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 – 10 minutes. Shape into a ball.
Place ball into a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover. Let rise in a warm place until double (45 – 60 minutes). Punch down and turn onto lightly covered surface.
Roll dough into 12 x 16 rectangle. Spread surface with half the orange filling. Starting on one long side, roll dough into a snake. Slice snake into 24 pieces. Place in two – 9 inch square or round pans, or into one 9 x 13 pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until about double (35 minutes or more). Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Frost with remaining orange frosting.
by jphilo | Oct 12, 2011 | Recipes
Even though home cooking meals from scratch has been the routine this week, none of the recipes were new and noteworthy enough to warrant posting. The reason for this lack of ingenuity escapes me, though I’d like to say it’s because of the excitement surrounding the arrival of Different Dream Parenting in the mail. But that would be a blatant plug trying to get more exposure for the book, something I wouldn’t dream of doing on a recipe post. So I won’t mention it.
Instead of making excuses, I’ll share another recipe from the Family Camp Cookbook. Cheesaghetti is a cross between spaghetti and lasagna. It’s a winner at camp with the cooks because it’s easy to make and serve. It’s a winner with diners because it’s tasty and filling. So give it a try and see if it’s a winner at your house, too.
Cheesaghetti
1 pound hamburger
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 – 28 ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 – 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 teaspoon basil
1 pound spaghetti
2 cups cottage cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Brown hamburger and onion. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, mushrooms, seasonings, and brown sugar. Simmer about 30 minutes until thick.
While sauce simmers, break spaghetti into thirds and cook according to package directions. When done, drain and toss spaghetti with cottage cheese. Spread in a greased 9 x 13 pan.
Sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella over the spaghetti mixture, then spread sauce over that. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over that. Bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly.
by jphilo | Oct 5, 2011 | Recipes
My apologies for the blurry picture which doesn’t do justice to this recipe for absolutely scrumptious carrot cake. I plead bad lighting, bad timing, and the conviction that my personal will power was not strong enough to endure making a second carrot cake for the purpose of getting a better picture. There you have it.
But don’t let the photo deter you from trying this recipe. It is the easiest and tastiest carrot cake ever. Hiram’s cath lab co-workers would agree with you, since he took the remains of the cake to work with my blessing.
We first tasted it over Labor Day when Cousin Julie whipped one up for her son Michael’s birthday. She kept pretty busy writing out the recipe after the party was over. So here’s her recipe with my variations noted. You’re gonna love it!
Cousin Julie’s Carrot Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat together:
2 cups flour (I used one cup unbleached and one cup whole wheat)
2 cups sugar (I used 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated carrot
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir in:
1 cup well-drained crushed or tidbit pineapple
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 (3 oz each) packages softened cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix well with hand mixer and spread on cake after it is cooled.
*Note: I made only a half batch of frosting and it was plenty to cover the cake. Julie frosted only half of her cake, as some people like it without frosting or wanted to add just a dab of their own.
