Ree’s Wonton Soup

MINE 

 

Ingredients

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Half a 12-ounce bag broccoli slaw mix (with broccoli, carrots and red cabbage) 

2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce 

1 tablespoon minced ginger 

4 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1 small red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced 

One 14- to 16-ounce bag frozen pork dumplings 

Directions

1. Combine the broth, slaw mix, soy sauce, ginger, scallion whites, garlic and red pepper slices in a large saucepan, then bring to a simmer. Add the dumplings and return to a simmer. Simmer until the veggies are tender and the dumplings are cooked, about 10 minutes. Garnish with the scallion greens.
2. 
   
   
   
   

Grandma Janice’s POPPY SEED BREAD

 Grandma J would make poppy seed bread almost every Saturday or one day during the week when we lived in Texas. She watched Spencer when he was young and they would make or eat this all the time!  I had it all the time and when we would go over on Saturday to either mow yards or visit we had poppy seed bread! I FORGOT how amazing this bread is!! 

Grandma J’s Poppy Seed Bread

BEAT WELL

3 Eggs

2 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup oil

BEAT TOGETHER

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp butter extract 

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

1 1/2 cup milk 

1 1/2 TBL SPOON poppy seed

Makes 2 loaves

Grease and flour 2 pans

350° for one hour 

Grandma Janice’s Banana Bread

SZECHUAN CHICKEN (cuisinart griddle)

 SZECHUAN CHICKEN

4 chicken thighs, garlic seasoning or fresh garlic 2 cloves 

1can water chestnuts

1 bag frozen mushrooms or fresh 

2 crowns broccoli trimmed and cut

1 bottle szechuan dipping sauce

Rice\lo mein noodles

1/2 cup peanuts more or less depending on like green onion for garnish

Cut chicken thighs into bite size pieces pour bottle of szechuan sauce, season with garlic seasoning or fresh garlic

Cut and trim broccoli add olive oil - Drizzle over the top and sprinkle garlic seasoning salt over them for flavor - toss with hands. 

In hot skillet or on the hot griddle add some oil and pour broccoli out and add water to steam and cover- leave for a minute or two until crowns are al dente. Set aside or move to warm/low end of griddle 

Use 2Tbl butter in pan or on skillet and cook mushrooms - put to side and drained water crestnuts the same way. 

Pour chicken and sauce into hot pan or skillet and cook until chicken is just tender. You can tell if chicken is done when it has sauce on it because it will change from a tender spongy feeling to a more firm easy to cut feeling. Checking if chicken is cooked is tricky when the sauce coats all pieces. 

Last minute I roast a cup of shelled peanuts and toss it a bit with some oil- 

Place vegetables, chicken in bed of rice or noodles and garnish with peanuts and chopped onion. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Our family gave this a 5 star LOVED IT

Garbage Bread

Pizza dough- roll to a rectangle. For 1 bread use
1/3 lb. hot ham
1/3 lb. salami
1/3 lb. pepperoni
1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese

If you double use 1/2 lb.  Roll into a jelly roll style. Tuck sides after every 2 or 3 rolls. Seam side down brush with melted butter.






BROCCOLI BREAD

1lb pizza dough
2 pkg. chopped broccoli (cooked and drained)
oil and garlic salt

Roll pizza dough out thin.  Cook broccoli, drain
Add oil and season heavily with garlic salt.
Put broccoli across rolled out pizza dough.  Roll dough out jelly roll style.
Brushed with egg whites before baking.
Put on oiled cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees until brown.

Dill Dip with Sour Dough Bread

1 large sour cream (2 cups)
2 cups mayonnaise
2 TBL onion chopped
2 TBL parsley
2 tsp. beaumonde seasoning
2 tsp dill weed or to taste

Sour Dough Bread

Pull out middle of bread and cut into bite size pieces. Cut into squares.
Fill dill dip in center. Add vegetables to side for dipping

Georgia's Rolls

Georgia's Rolls (Missouri)

6 cups of water
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbl salt
5 pounds white flour plus 1 cup
3 packages dry yeast, 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup luke warm water

Mix yeast and 2 Tbsp brown sugar in 1/2 cup luke warm water.
Set aside. Spread 2 sheets heavy duty aluminum foil on counter to cover space to knead dough.

In large bowl add 6 cups water, brown sugar, white sugar, salt, and oil.
When yeast has activated add to this mixture.
Stir.
Dump in most of the 5lbs of flour and stir.  Put remaining (2 cups) flour on foil.
Turn out the sugar flour mixture on countertop. Let it sit while you wash your large bowl, dry and put
oil in bowl and rub inside of bowl.

Start to add flour to your bread mixture as you knead. It will be sticky. Knead and add flour to bottom of mixture. Add more flour if needed.

Knead for about 10 minutes. Let rise until double in size.

Punch down and let rise again

Grease cookie sheets or jelly roll pans with Crisco.
Make bread into rolls. I like large rolls so you will get about 15 rolls on a jelly roll pan.

Cover pans of dough with cloth. Let rise until double again.

Bake rolls in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. All ovens differ.  If your rolls get dark on the bottom turn your oven down to 325.  This should yield about 45-50 rolls. When rolls are done brush tops with butter.

Sausage Egg Casserole (Brunch)

6 eggs
2 cups milk
2 slices day old bread - cubed
1 pound cooked drained and cooled sausage. (I use hot)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together.
Let stand over night in refrigerator
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Super good and Super easy.

Cream Cheese Bars

Yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 stick melted butter

Mix well.

9x13 pan and spray with vegetable spray or pam

Filling

1 8oz cream cheese
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 16 oz box of confectioner sugar
1 stick melted butter
1 cup almond toffee bits

Beat well.

Pour onto cake mixture. Spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes on 350
Center will be a little gooey. Remove from oven and cool.

Lemmon Blossoms

Lemon Blossoms

Yellow Cake Mix
Instant Pudding small container
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil

Mix all ingredients together.

Glaze

4 cups confectioner sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 lemon zested (optional)
3 Tbl. vegetable oil
3 Tbl. water

Mix and set aside

Spray muffin pans with cooking spray. Fill tins 1/2 full

Bake 12 minutes and turn out when done.
Hand dip in glaze while still warm.

Potato Casserole, Funeral Potatoes

I have always heard about this "funeral potato" dish but hadn't had it until recently. Perhaps it is because we live in the mid west and closer to Utah. I love it. My family loves it and you everything is very comforting. It's good ol' southern food if you ask me! The sour cream taste is definitely prevalent and adds to the charm of this dish. My friend Lisa made it as a side dish to accompany her Easter dinner. Please excuse the picture. It was taken with my phone. She had a ward cook book and it was submitted by Ann Crandall. Well, funny thing is I knew an Ann Crandall way back in my DeSoto, TX ward. Her husband was Larry Crandall. I wonder if it could be the same lady?!

Yield: 16 servings     Prep: 10 minutes    Bake: 350    Time: 30 minutes

Potato Casserole
24 oz. frozen shredded hash browns or (12 large potatoes)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (undiluted)
2 cups sour cream
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped onion (or use dried minced onion to taste)
2 cups corn flakes (crushed)
2 Tbl. melted butter

Boil potatoes with skins for 30 minutes. Cool, peel and grate into large bowl. (or thaw and put into large bowl) Combine soup, sour cream, cheese, 1/2 cup melted butter and onions. Gently blend into potatoes.  Put in 9x13 pan. Combine crushed cornflakes and 2 TBL butter and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 16

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Hey, I believe these are healthy and nutritious because they have two healthy ingredients. Strawberries which are very good for you and oatmeal which is very good for your heart! So, in my humble opinion these are absolutely good for you and you may eat as many as your heart desires! Again, my sister Jennifer has made these precious little treats and I have a picture to share and a satisfied tummy! Thanks Jen.

Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

1 1/4 C Flour
1 1/4 C quick oats
1/2 C Sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C raspberry preserves
1/2 C flaked coconut
combine dry ingredients, except coconut, in bowl, add butter and vanilla, stir until crumbly.  set aside 1 cup.  press remaining crumb mixture into ungreased 9x13 pan spread preserves over crust combine coconut and reserved crumb mixture, sprinkle over preserves.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 min or until coconut is browned, cut into bars.

Buffalo Chicken Celery Sticks

Perfect appetizer served warm or cold!

2 full stalks of celery- Washed! I like to go ahead and devein or dethread my celery stalks for easy eating! This step is absolutely not necessary! But, I feel like you can bite into it without having those stringy celery hairs in the way! Oh well, whatever you decide they will be incredible!

Boil 4 chicken breasts in a pan of hot water until fully cooked.
Drain off water and let cool - Just a bit!
Once chicken is still warm place in your kitchenaid or your mixer.
This is the quickest fastest way to shred chicken! 🙌

 Stir in Texas Pete or Baby Rays Buffalo Wing sauce.
You can add in a little salt and pepper for flavor and then you are ready to stuff your celery stalks.

Once stalks are stuffed you are ready to cut them into bit size pieces and drizzle ranch dressing over the tops and garnish with chives! Our chives are fresh clippings from our garden!!

A few of your star ingredients!

Crock Pot Catalina Chicken

CROCK POT CATALINA CHICKEN

5 min prep 5 hrs cook time serves 6

1. cup Catalina dressing
2. 1pkg onion mix
3. 1/2 cup peach or apricot preserves
4. 1 1/2 tsp corn starch
5. 6 skinless boneless chicken breasts
6. 1/2 tsp or add red pepper seasoning to taste

Spray crock pot with cooking spray and lay 6 breasts down
Mix all ingredients except for corn starch and pour on top of chicken
Mix corn starch with 1 1/2 tablespoons of water and stir into liquid and cook for another 20 minutes.
Serve over rice or noodles.

**I added 1/2 tsp cornstarch to the recipe prior to cooking and used ONLY 3 boneless chicken breasts. I took my hand mixer and blended the chicken so it would SHRED!
Once it was finished cooking I added a full TBL spoon of cornstarch and this took up all of the gravy or moisture and made it more like a BBQ. (I intended to only add 1 TSP) I then added the rest of the peach preserves jar and the rest of the Catalina dressing mixed with a little water to get it out of the bottle and let it sit in the crock for an additional 20 min. - just to warm!
 WE LOVE IT!! 3 shredded boneless chickens yields to a lot of meat!


Recipe was adapted from Spicy Southern Kitchen

Grandma's Baked Beans

Ever since I can remember baked beans has always been a part of most gatherings growing up. They are definitely an Eaton thing because I can count on one hand the times I have seen these grace a Solomon table. I have to admit I am not keen on beans but whenever they seem to present themselves when I am home I have to put a spoonful or two upon my plate!

No Bake Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Granola Bars

I am a food label snob to some extent! I only like Quaker Oats granola bars. Maybe it's the cute quaker man on the front of the box or the way my teeth sink into a chewy yet subtle crunch of goodness! Or could be that I secretly feel like I am doing my body good and making healthier choices? Sure, it has sugar in it but it's better than a Krispy Kreme donut. (which btw, I have a recipe for those too)
MY FAMILY LOVES THESE! I may have mentioned that before but I just wanted to be clear!! After reading the comments I settled on Rachael Rays method and ingredients. She shares it HERE

I double the recipe and pack it down into a 9X13 pan.

CHEWY NO BAKE OATMEAL RAISIN GRANOLA BARS


DRY INGREDIENTS: (in large bowl) This is adapted. 
1 C rice krispies 
1 C granola (orig. calls for two cups granola but I wanted to add 1 Cup instant oats)
1 Cup INSTANT oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon ( I make it 1 tsp)
1/2 C Raisins (i make it 3/4 cup)

WET INGREDIENTS in sauce pan

4tbls butter or half a stick
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C honey 
(I double this for a 9x13 pan)
bring this to a good boil. Typically 3 min
(I do use sweetened granola and you should adjust your sugar portions if your granola is sweetened. so that your full sugar addition is 3/4ths cup insyead of a 1/2 cup.

Grandma Janice's Pecan Pie

PECAN PIE

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup karo syrup (light)
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup crushed pecans
Deep dish pie crust frozen ( or you can make Grandma Eaton's pie crust)

Cream sugar and butter
Add Syrup and salt - Beat together
Beat in eggs one at a time
Add pecans to bottom of pie crust
Pour in unbaked crust
Bake at 350 degress for 1 hour 10 minutes or UNTIL knife comes out
clean. Ready!

Jen's Texas Caviar

My sister makes this side dish often each time we visit NY in the summer and my husband absolutely adores it!! He has also made it a few times and it has become a family favorite. It has a satisfying bright taste and is oh so good!

TEXAS CAVIAR

1 can black eyed peas

1 can black beans

1 jar of banana peppersaq  

1 medium Vidalia onion

1 cup celery

1 jar of pimentos/roasted red peppers chopped

1 can of shoe peg/white corn

1 cup sugar,

1 1/2cup apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Adjust sugar to taste and serve with

1 bag lime tortilla chips

Dessert Nachos

Dessert Nachos

These have been such a huge hit among the family! They are perfect to even have as a crispy snack. 
They take a bit of time but well worth it!

Homemade Cinnamon Tortilla chips

8 6 inch flour tortillas
 1 cup white sugar
 2 tsp ground cinnamon

* Pre-heat oven to 400 degree and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats.
Cut tortillas with pizza cutter into 8 triangles.  Separate and place into large mixing bowl.
Pour melted butter over the top and toss until each triangle is evenly coated. Roll each tortilla
into the cinnamon sugar or you can toss all triangles into the sugar mixture.
Bake for 5 minutes and then flip and bake again until desired crunch is achieved. If there is left over sugar mixture you can reserve for garnish.

ADDITIONAL TOPPINGS

Ice cream

Fresh fruit, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, apples etc
Nuts, pecans, walnuts etc
chocolate chips
Melted peanut butter
cool whip
chocolate sauce
caramel sauce

 

KITCHEN HELPS and TIPS

ALCOHOL COOKING SUBSTITUTIONS
A lot of recipes call for wine or some type of alcohol. If you don't use alcohol, or have that readily available, here are some options when cooking.
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Alcoholic Ingredient + Description + Substitution
Amaretto - Italian almond-flavored liqueur - Substitute: Almond extract.
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Beer or ale + Various types.
For light beers, substitute chicken broth, ginger ale or white grape juice. For heavier beers, use a stronger beef, chicken or mushroom broth or stock. Non-alcoholic beers may also be substituted.
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Brandy +Liquor made of distilled wine or fruit juice.
Scotch or bourbon. If a particular flavor is specified, use the corresponding fruit juice, such as apple, apricot, cherry, peach, raspberry etc. or grape juice. Corresponding flavored extracts can be used for small amounts.
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Calvados, Apple brandy
Substitute: Apple juice concentrate or juice.
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Chambord, Black raspberry liqueur
Substitute: Raspberry juice, syrup or extract.
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Champagne, Sparkling white wine.
Substitute: Sparkling white grape juice, ginger ale, white wine.
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Claret
Light red wine or Bordeaux.
Non-alcoholic wine, diluted currant or grape juice, cherry cider syrup.
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Cognac, Aged, double-distilled wine or fermented fruit juice.
Substitute peach, apricot or pear juice.
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Cointreau, French, orange-flavored liqueur.
Substitute: Orange juice concentrate or regular orange juice that has been reduced to a thicker consistency.
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Curacao, Liqueur made from bitter Seville oranges.
Substitute: Orange juice frozen concentrate or reduced fresh orange juice.
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Creme de menthe, Thick and syrupy, sweetened mint liqueur. Comes both clear and green.
Substitute: Mix spearmint extract or oil with a little water or grapefruit juice. Use a drop of food coloring if you need the green color.
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Framboise, French raspberry liqueur.
Substitute: Raspberry juice or syrup.
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Frangelico, Italian hazelnut liqueur.
Substitute: Hazelnut or almond extract.

Galliano, Golden Italian anise liqueur.
Substitute: Licorice extract.
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Grand Marnier French liqueur, orange-flavored.
Substitute: Orange juice frozen concentrate or reduced fresh orange juice.
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Grappa Italian grape brandy.
Substitute: Grape juice or reduced red wine.
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Grenadine, Pomegranate syrup, sometimes alcoholic.
Substitute: Pomegranate syrup or juice.
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Hard Cider, Fermented, alcoholic cider.
Substitute: Apple cider or juice.
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Kahlua, Syrupy Mexican liqueur made with coffee and cocoa beans.
Substitute: touch of cocoa powder.
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Kirsch (Kirchwasser) Colorless liqueur made of cherries.
Substitute: Black cherry, raspberry, boysenberry, currant, or grape juice or syrup, or cherry cider.
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Red Burgundy, Dry French wine.
Substitute: Non-alcoholic wine, red wine vinegar, grape juice.
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Red wine, Sweet or dry wine.
Substitute: Non-alcoholic wine, beef or chicken broth or stock, diluted red wine vinegar, red grape juice diluted with red wine vinegar or rice vinegar, tomato juice, liquid from canned mushrooms, plain water.
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Rum, Liquor distilled from molasses or sugar syrup.
Substitute: For light rum, use pineapple juice flavored with almond extract. For dark rum, use molasses thinned with pineapple juice and flavored with almond extract. Or use rum extract flavoring.
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Sake,Fermented rice drink.
Substitute: Rice vinegar.
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Schnapps, Flavored, colorless liquor.
Use corresponding flavored extract such as peppermint, peach, etc.
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Sherry, Fortified dessert wine, sweet or dry, some with a slightly nutty flavor.
Substitute: Orange or pineapple juice.
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Southern Comfort, Bourbon mixed with peach liqueur.
Substitute: Peach nectar mixed with a little cider vinegar.
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Tequila, Liquor made of the agave plant.
Substitute: Cactus nectar or juice.
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Triple Sec, Orange-flavored liqueur.
Substitute: Orange juice frozen concentrate or reduced fresh orange juice.
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Vermouth, Wine-based drink infused with herbs, sweet or dry.
Substitute: For sweet, use non-alcoholic sweet wine, apple or grape juice or balsamic vinegar. For dry, use non-alcoholic white wine, white grape juice or white wine vinegar.
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White Burgundy, Dry French wine.
Substitute: Non-alcoholic wine, white grape juice diluted with white wine vinegar.
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White wine, Sweet or dry wine.
Substitute: Non-alcoholic wine, chicken broth or stock, diluted white wine vinegar or cider vinegar, white grape juice diluted with white wine vinegar, ginger ale, canned mushroom liquid, water. For marinades, substitute 1/4 cup vinegar plus 1 Tbsp sugar plus 1/4 cup water.

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August 13, 2008 TERRIFIC USES FOR BOUNCE DRYER SHEETS I love any product with multiple uses. Turns out that Bounce dryer sheets are the multi-tasking gold mine! This is a product that most of us have in our laundry room, and check out the myriad of uses!
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1. Need to keep yellow-jackets and bees away? Forget the bee spray and simply tie a sheet of Bounce to your belt loop.

2. Have a problem with ants? Forget the toxic ant sprays and lay a sheet of Bounce near them. Watch it chase the ants away!

3. Do your old photo albums and books that are used infrequently have a funny odor? Stick in a sheet of Bounce.

4. Not just a yellow-jacket repellent, Bounce sheets work as mosquito repellant as well.

5. Use Bounce sheets to eliminate static electricity from your TV or computer screen. This will also help keep dust from re-settling.

6. Use Bounce to clean your shower doors, and watch the soap scum disappear.

7. Place a sheet of Bounce in your drawers to freshen the air in your home.

8. Next time you replace your vacuum's bag, put in a sheet of bounce. The heat from the vacuum will enhance the scent.

9. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.

10. To prevent suitacases from getting musty, place a sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing. 11. Place a sheet of Bounce under the seat in your car to freshen the air.

12. Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan. (I love this one!).

13. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets by placing a sheet of Bounce at the bottom.

14. Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from re-settling.

15. Deoderize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight. 16. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.

16. If your hair is full of static electricity, rub a dryer sheet lightly across it. It will quickly take care of the problem.

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August 10, 2008 CANDY - MAKING CHART *
Thread
begins at 230°
The syrup will make a 2" thread when dropped from a spoon.
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Soft Ball
begins at 234°
A small amount of syrup dropped into chilled water forms a ball, but flattens when picked up with fingers
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Firm Ball
begins at 244°
The ball will hold its shape and flatten only when pressed.
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Hard Ball
begins at 250°
The ball is more rigid but still pliable.
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Soft Crack
begins at 270°
When a small amount of syrup is dropped into chilled water it will separate into threads which will bend when picked up.
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Hard Crack
begins at 300°
The syrup separates into threads that are hard and brittle.
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Caramelized Sugar
310° to 338°
Between these temperatures the syrup will turn dark golden, but will turn black at 350°.

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LIQUID & DRY MEASURE Dry Measure
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3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon = 1/2 ounce = 14.3 grams

2 tablespoons = 1/8 cup = 1 fluid ounce = 28.3 grams

4 tablspoons = 1/4 cup = 2 fluid ounces = 56.7 grams

5 1/3 tablespoons = 1/3 cup = 2.6 fluid ounces = 75.6 grams

8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup = 4 ounces = 113.4 grams = 1 stick butter

12 tablespoons = 3/4 cup = 6 ounces = .375 pound = 170 grams

32 tablespoons = 2 cups = 16 ounces = 1 pound = 453.6 grams

64 tablespoons = 4 cups = 32 ounces = 2 pounds = 907 grams
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Liquid Measures
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1 cup = 8 fluid ounces = 1/2 pint = 237 ml

2 cups = 16 fluid ounces = 1 pint = 474 ml

4 cups = 32 fluid ounces = 1 quart = 946 ml

2 pints = 32 fluid ounces = 1 quart = 0.964 liters

4 quarts = 128 fluid ounces = 1 gallon = 3.784 liters

8 quarts = one peck

4 pecks = one bushel

dash = less than 1/4 teaspoon



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LIQUID MEASURE CONVERSION

1/2 fl oz =1 tbsp = 3 tsp

1/8 cup = 1 fl oz = 2 tbsp = 6 tsp

1/4 cup =2 fl oz = 4 tbsp = 12 tsp

1/2 cup =4 fl oz =8 tbsp = 24 tsp

1/4 qt =1/2 pt = 1 cup = 8 fl oz

1/2 qt = 1 pt = 2 cups = 16 fl oz

1/4 gal = 1 qt = 2 pt = 4 cups = 32 fl oz

1/2 gal = 2 qt = 4 pt = 8 cups = 64 fl oz

1 gal = 4 qt = 8 pt = 16 cups = 128 fl oz

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August 7, 2008 BAKING SUBSTITUTIONS Have you ever been smack in the middle of a recipe, and realized that you are missing a vital ingredient? Here are a few substitutions that just might come in handy some day.
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MILK:
1 Cup Milk=1/2 C. evaporated milk plus 1/2 C. water; or 1 C. buttermilk plus 1/2 tsp. baking soda; or 3 Tbs. sifted reg. non-fat dry milk plus 1 C. minus 1 Tbs. water; or 1/3 C. instant non-fat dry milk plus 1 C. minus 1 Tbs. water.
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1 Cup whole milk=1 C. reconstituted non-fat dry milk plus 2 1/2 tsp. butter or margarine.
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1 cup Sour or Buttermilk=1 Tbs. vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to make 1 Cup. Let stand for 5 min. or 1 3/4 tsp. cream of tartar plus 1 C. milk.
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1 cup Heavy Cream=1/3 C. butter plus about 3/4 C. milk
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FLOUR:
1 Cup sifted all purpose flour=1 C. unsifted all purpose flour minus 2 Tbs. or 1 C. plus 2 Tbs. sifted cake flour.
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1 Cup sifted Cake Flour=7/8 C. sifted all purpose flour or 1 C. minus 2 Tbs. sifted all purpose flour.
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1 Tablespoon Flour for Thickening=1/2 Tbs. cornstarch or 2 tsp. quick cooking tapioca.
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CORNSTARCH: for thickening
1 Tablespoon=2 Tablespoons flour
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SHORTENING OR LARD:
Many great OLD recipes call for Lard. Most of us don't have lard hanging around. Use this instead:
1 cup Lard=1 1/4 C. butter minus 1/2 tsp. salt from your recipe.
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BAKING POWDER:
1 teaspoon=1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar plus 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
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BROTH:
1 Cup=1 cup hot water plus 1 teaspoon bouillon granules or 1 bouillon cube
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CHOCOLATE:
1 square semisweet (1 ounce)=1 square (1 ounce) unsweetened chocolate plus 1 tablespoon sugar or 3 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
1 square Chocolate (1 ounce)=3 tablespoons baking cocoa plus 1 tablespoon shortening or vegetable oil
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CORN SYRUP, DARK (1 cup)=3/4 Cup light corn syrup plus 1/4 cup molasses
CORN SYRUP, LIGHT (1 cup)=1 Cup sugar plus 1/4 cup water
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HONEY (1 cup)=1-1/4 cups sugar plus 1/4 cup water
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LEMON JUICE (1 tsp) = 1/4 tsp. cider vinegar
LEMON PEEL (1 tsp)=1/2 tsp. lemon extract
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MOLASSES (1 cup)=1 cup honey
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MUSTARD, PREPARED (1 tablespoon)=1/2 teaspoon ground mustard plus 2 teaspoons cider or white vinegar
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ONION (1/3 cup chopped)=1 tsp. onion powder or 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
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POULTRY SEASONING (1 tsp.)=3/4 tsp. ground sage plus 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
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SOUR CREAM (1 cup)=1 Cup plain yogurt
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SUGAR (1 cup)=1 cup packed Brown Sugar or 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
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TOMATO JUICE (1 cup)=1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water
TOMATO SAUCE (2 Cups)=3/4 cup tomato paste plus 1 cup water

Blueberry Muffins via cake mix

 

I think I am back!!! I have to blog strictly using my phone but this is doable, I think!!

These were a huge success in our house!! and even better because I have gone into the lazy mode of baking and cooking. Sweet heart loved them so much that she pranced around singing while holding two muffins in hand "oh, I wish I were the muffin man!"

Can't you just smell them?? ...inhale deeply!

They were uber easy to make! They only changes I made were I used a yellow cake mix and I chose to use a few table spoons of flour to generously dust my blueberries. They were frozen and I knew the flour would prevent them from sinking to the BOTTOM, like the old titanic!

I found my recipe through pinterest and went to this blog! There were not many comments and usually I like to read all the comments so I can avoid any pit falls or alter accordingly!


BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh blueberries (dusted with flour if frozen)

1 package of white cake mix (I used yellow)

1 package of instant vanilla pudding

 

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla (I loved the almond flavor)

BEAT everything all together (except for blueberries) until well blended and smooth around 3 minutes with an electric mixer, then fold in the blueberries at the end.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. Bake at 350 until browned.

She also suggest adding a streusel topping by combining 1/2 flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoon softened butter and 1/4 cup chopped walnuts mixed all together evenly. Sprinkle a little on each muffin before baking. If you do try this recipe! Leave me a comment and pop on over to this blog and let her know how much you loved it also!

The editing software for my android isn't the best! But, I'm glad I can post now!!

How to make an apron from a man's dress shirt

Another one of my pins. We are having a Young Women's in Excellence night and it is a RECIPE/COOKING theme. I thought I would make these quickly for my daughters. I read all 3 tutorials and then I basically took all three and winged it and did my own, mixing a little from here and a little from there.

I DO NOT SEW
I DO NOT SEW
I DO NOT SEW

Let me repeat, I do not sew. I can do your basic and my first apron took me an hour and the second apron took me 30 minutes. (ruffles included) So, If I choose to make one for myself perhaps I could get it down to 15 minutes.

WOULD I do this craft again?? HECK YEAH!!! super easy and super cute. I'm thinking christmas or birthday gifts. Pair it with a cook book or a recipe or even a cookie mix in a jar. Endless possibilities! While cleaning I had a woman ask me, "where did I get such a cah-ute apron?" I gleamed with pride and replied, "moi"!

The three sites that I was inspired from was

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups of canned pumpkin

11/2 cups canola oil

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.  In another bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil.  Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.  Fold in chocolate chips. 

Pour into two greased 8x4 loaf pans. Bake at 350 decrees for 60-70 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.  Yield:  2 loaves.

Angel Food Cake

This is so light and perfect! I absolutely love the texture of this cake. It is most definitely worth the time and the effort to create this lovely piece of heaven! I tried this recipe out from Gourmet. I followed directions exactly with no adaptions. I would like to add cocoa to half the batter and try a black and white angel food cake! I think it would be to die for! You can go directly to the sight for the recipe by clicking here!

Angel Food Cake

Serves8
Active time:30 min
Start to finish:2 hr

ADAPTED FROM RICK ELLIS

February 2000

This classic spongecake is thought to have originated with German settlers—a thrifty use of the many egg whites left over after making noodles. Apocryphal perhaps…delicious nonetheless. My sister asked me to make this as her wedding cake. To dress it up, I flavored it with ginger and served it with sliced peaches tossed with sugar and bourbon.


1 1/2cupslarge egg whites (10 to 11)
1tablespoonwarm water
1cupsifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
1 1/4cupssuperfine granulated sugar
1tablespoonground ginger (optional)
2teaspoonsvanilla
1teaspooncream of tartar
1/2teaspoonsalt

Special equipment:

a 10- by 4-inch tube pan with removable bottom and a standing electric mixer


Accompaniment:

sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries

Make cake layers:
•
Preheat oven to 375ºF.

•
Put whites and water in a very clean large metal bowl and swirl over simmering water or a gas flame until barely warm. Sift together flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and ginger 4 times onto a sheet of wax paper.

•
Beat whites in standing electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt. Increase speed to medium-high and beat just until soft peaks begin to form. Gradually beat in remaining cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, occasionally scraping down side of bowl. Increase speed to high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. (Do not overbeat.)

•
Sift one third of flour mixture over whites. Beat on low speed just until blended. Sift and beat in remaining flour in 2 more batches.

•
Gently pour batter into ungreased tube pan and smooth top. Run a rubber spatula or long knife through batter to eliminate any large air bubbles.

•
Bake cake in lower third of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Remove cake from oven and immediately invert pan. (If pan has "legs," stand it on those. Otherwise, place pan over neck of a bottle.) Cool cake completely, upside down.

•
Turn pan right side up. Run a long, thin knife around outer edge of pan with a smooth (not sawing) motion. Do the same around center tube. Remove outer rim of pan and run knife under bottom of cake to release. Invert to release cake from tube, and invert again onto a serving plate.

•
Serve cake with whipped cream and berries.

Cooks’ notes: Angel food cake was traditionally torn apart using 2 forks or a many-pronged cake breaker to preserve its prized texture; however, gently sawing with a modern serrated knife also works well.
Cake may be made 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

Sweet Potato Casserole

I can not believe that I had not posted this recipe to the blog! I have used this for every holiday and every gathering that I have been to, ever since my friend Cheryl C. made it at her home for our Easter gathering with her family! My husband's Aunt Teresa makes a sweet potato casserole similar to this as well. My friend, C got it from her neighbor who may have gotten it from Southern Living! LOL.

I believe the topping makes this dish most unique and scrumptious. It is always requested my mother in law always asks me for the recipe and I believe she has it down now! It brings groans of delight and smiles of pleasure when this dish makes its presence at our table.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Yields: 9x13 pan          Bake: 350      Prep:  20 min       Time: 35 min

Ingredients:
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick butter
5 ounces evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla

TOPPING: mix in seperate bowl (should crumble)
1/2 stick melted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup pecan peices

Mix all together. Place in greased 9x13 pan. Top with topping and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Rainbow Waffles

We always have a great time for the holidays and I love to have fun and celebrate. We had many of our traditional St. Patty's traditions along with a few new ones. My children absolutely loved these and had a great time eating them. Their little pot of gold was sliced bananas! Way fun.

My recipe comes from Betty Crocker herself. It is my favorite go to, never fail nice and fluffy recipe!

WAFFLE RECIPE
Yields: 4 waffles com
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 TBL spoon baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg yolks
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 egg whites

In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl beat egg yolks slightly. Beat in milk and oil. Add egg yolk mixture to flour mixture all at once. Stir just til combined
but still slightly lumpy.

In a small bowl beat egg whites till stiff peaks. (tips stand straight). Gently fold beaten egg whites into flour and egg yolk mixture, leaving a few fluffs of egg whites. DO NOT OVER MIX!

Pour 1 to 1 1/4 cups batter onto waffle grid of preheated lightly greased waffle maker. Close lid, do not lift lid until done. use fork to lift out.

Using food coloring tint waffle batter in separate bowls or cups or for easy pouring use Wilton bags or Ziploc bags. Starting with red place in center of waffle grid and as each color out will need more batter. ROY G. BIV
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet

How to make Hawaiian Haystacks

Hawaiian Haystacks! It seems like if you stick a pineapple on it, it's called Hawaiian. LOL, but this is such a wonderful dish. I know my sister in law made it for us many many years ago. Then I haven't had them since. It's been 10 long years since these have graced my palette. Some friends had us over for dinner and this is what she served. I have craved them ever since that night! What was I thinking never to make them. I finally did it and I'm so glad I did! The basic ingredients is chicken, cream of chicken, rice and any topping you wanted to put on it!

Hawaiian Haystacks


Sauce: 2 cans cream of chicken soup 2 cups chopped cooked chicken 1 cup chicken broth Mix and heat. Toppings (in order): Rice chow mein noodles chopped tomatoes chopped celery chopped green,red,and yellow peppers, cheese, pineapple, mandarin oranges, olives, almonds, coconut,etc.

Mix the cream of chicken soup with the chicken broth on medium heat. Add cooked chicken (shredded or chopped).

Place a scoop of rice into each bowl. Spoon one to two ladles full of sauce over the top of each scoop.


Set out toppings in small bowls on the table. Add cheese first, so it will melt, then other toppings, to individual taste. Although it may seem strange to combine pineapple and coconut with savory flavors.

Cake Mix Corn bread

A good friend of ours came to one of our dinner nights and brought a new recipe that she tried out. It's corn bread and is made with a cake mix base. Interesting! It was really very delish. I would catergorize it under a dessert because of its sweetness. Thanks Lisa for sharing! I got this recipe from COOKS.COM

Yields: 32 servings Prep: 15 min Bake: 350 Time: 30-35min
Cake Mix Corn Bread
LOS ANGELES SWEET CORN BREAD
1 (18 1/2 oz.) pkg. yellow cake mix (the kind without pudding)
1 (15 oz.) pkg. corn bread mix

Mix cake and corn bread batters according to package directions. Blend together and turn into 2 greased 9 inch square baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until corn bread springs back when lightly touched. Yields: about 32 servings.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Ever since A fell in love with my recent recipe of snickerdoodle bundt cake I knew I had to let him experience the love of the Snickerdoodle cookie. In our ward in NC, the Fort Mill ward, a family named the Jensen's shared this great recipe. It was perfect. It was slightly crunchy on the outside and ever so delicate and buttery and soft and even a bit chewey on the inside. I have no idea why I don't make these more often. They are magnificent. They are delicious the Mr. as well as A absolutely love these.
This is definitely my go to recipe for snickerdoodles!
YIELDS: 2 dozen cookies  Preheat: 400 degrees  Time: 8-10 minutes.
SNICKERDOODLES

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
Topping: combine in seperate bowl
2 TBL spoons sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together butter, shortening, sugar, and eggs. Blend in dry ingredients.
Shape dough into balls and roll in topping mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 min. I will also dip each baked cookie once they come out of the oven in the sugar mixture again.

Snowballs, Russian Tea cakes, Italian Butter nuts, Mexican Wedding Cakes

This is a cookie with a thousand names but whatever you call them they are delicious! I think even the Greeks have a wedding crescent tradition using this recipe!

I have always loved these cookies. I have loved them from my childhood. No one else liked them because they were powdery and maybe a bit on the dry side but that was what I adored and I loved the texture and the way they would stick to the roof of my mouth! They have a small crunch on the outside, smoothe and buttery on the inside met with small flecks of chopped pecans. I am so nostalgic just reminiscing of this little ball of powder! I adore these and will find any excuse to make them. My sister calls them snow balls and once again, Jennifer made them for her Christmas platter. I too add them to my holiday platters. I have a word of warning for these cookies. You must be careful not to over bake. They can easily serve as golf balls or knock a tooth out.

This recipe originates from the Betty Crocker Cookbook

Yield: 4 dozen Prep time: 20 min cook time: 12 min Preheat: 400 degrees

Ingredients

1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sifted powdered (confectioners') sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour ( if you don't want to patiently watch these you can reduce the flour to 1 3/4 cup flour)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped toasted nuts*
Powdered (confectioner's) sugar

* How to toast nuts - Spread nuts in a single layer on a baking pan (one with walls is best) for toasting in the oven. Cook at 400 degrees F for 7 to 10 minutes or until the nuts start to turn golden. Shake the pan halfway through toasting.

Preparation:In a large bowl, cream butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Sift in flour and salt; stir until well mixed. Mix in nuts. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Roll dough into 1-inch balls.
Place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from oven and cool slightly on wire cooling racks.
While still warm, roll cookies in powdered sugar. When cookies have cooled, roll them again in the confectioners sugar to give them a nice even coating of sugar.
Store in an air tight container.

Variation: Substitute 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips for the nuts.

Chocolate Crinkles

My sister, Jennifer had made these wonderful little delights while we were home for Christmas two years ago! These too, will adorn my Christmas platters! They are slightly addictive and may leave evidence behind that you have been scarfing a few.  My recipe hails from Allrecipes and you may click here to go directly to sight.

CHOCOLATE CRINKLES

Yield: 6 dozen    Prep time: 20 min    Cook time: 12 minutes   Ready in: 5 hours     Bake at: 350 degrees

 Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

• Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls. I like to use a number 50 size scoop. Coat each ball in confectioners' sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.
  3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.
  

Snickerdoodle Bundt cake

Snickerdoodle bundt cake! Whomever would have thunk it? Well, this gal did here!

When I was googling new recipes I came across this idea and figured I would give it a go!

A, my 10 year old absolutely adores this cake! I gave a 1/4th of it away to share with a friend and when he found out, he almost had a grand mal seizure! This is a two thumbs up in his opinion! In fact, everytime I would plate a piece for picture I would grab my camera or my card on two seperate occassions and the piece would be gone!!

I just know he will love the snickerdoodle cookie recipe that my daughter brought home from church! I'm not a huge fan of cinnamon so I don't bake much with it but since A is I will be looking for more goodies with cinnamon.
I did add 1/2 tsp more cinnamon then called for because in my opinion cinnamon can sometimes get lost in a recipe. It was a good call.
I had a few apprehensions while baking and once the cake was done but all was well. I was careful to grease well my pan and then coat it with the sugar mixture. This is key to giving the cake a nice crust. I feared it may be too crunchy with all the sugar. I would also take note while adding the cinnamon sugar mixture to the cake to pour the sugar as close to the middle as possible. Mine baked closer to 70 minutes. It could be my oven. But, once complete. The knife slices through it beautifully and the inside is so moist and wonderful. So, put aside your fears.

WHAT makes this cake so incredible? It has a beautiful slightly crunchy crust and a very moist dense texture. Your tongue just sings and sends these incredible messages to your brain that says, "FEED ME MORE". I think the crust is what defines this cake as being a sugardoodle. My son, also specifically asked, "Mom, how do you get the cinnamon in the middle?" the sweet band of cinnamon that swirls through the middle is divine. Serve it up for breakfast, brunch or dessert. It is perfect for any occassion and at any time.

SNICKERDOODLE BUNDT CAKE... my notes in boldA printable version can be found here.ingredients
Yield 10 servings, Time 25 minutes prep, 60 minutes to bake
Ingredients
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I added another 1/2 tsp)1 cup white sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (I used regular salt)1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature

Method
In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Mix together really well and Preheat oven to 325F. Here’s the exact way Julie made the crust: Using a spray product like Pam with Flour, generously spray a 9 inch Bundt pan, being careful to cover all the nooks and crannies, as well as the center tube. (Note: If you don’t want to use Pam with Flour, you can just grease the pan with shortening.) Gently dust the entire inside of the pan with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. You should only need about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar, but you want to try and evenly coat the inside surface of the pan, including the tube. Save the remaining sugar and cinnamon mixture and set everything aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Beat just the butter on medium speed for one full minute. Add the white sugar and mix for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and blade and add the brown sugar.

Mix for 2 minutes until the mixture looks light brown and uniform in color. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each for 1 full minute. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream; beat well.

Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture over top the cake. Spread the rest of the batter into the pan and sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the top. (If you run out of cinnamon sugar, you can mix just 1/4 cup of sugar + 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon together for the top of the cake. It should be more than enough.)

Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. aside.

This will leave your house smelling delicious!

Homemade pistachio ice cream

Home made Pistachio Ice Cream
This is among the favorites in our household. I believe the Mr. still enjoys his old and true plain vanilla ice cream but he pampers us by making pistachio and it is most decadent and divine!

Ingredients for Pistachio Ice Cream
1 can condensed
1 can evaporated
1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 small pkgs of pistachio pudding
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 TBL spoon vanilla extract
Add WHOLE MILK to ice cream churn to top off to line.

1 large bag of ice
1/2 box of rock salt

Our ice cream churn comes with directions on how to use. But the basic ice cream recipe is as listed as above. It is rich it is decadent and I LOVE it best the day after! It gets very creamy and dense. Good luck having it last the day after.


Our churn then requires you to pour ice around the cannister and put rock salt on top. Keep checking your ice maker and adding ice so that it stays near the top of the cannister and then rock salt again. Repeat as necessary. Until ice maker stops churning. You can immediately turn out and place in storage containers or serve. If you would like your ice cream more firm wait a few minutes and the ice cream will harden as it sits.

Eggs Eggs Eggs... helpful tips

My favorite site:tipnut.com

If you ever have a ton of eggs to boil. Don't bother with wasting water or getting out a pot. You can have hard boiled eggs straight from the lovin' of your oven! Gotta love that!
Here’s a way to cook lots of hard boiled eggs without having to work with big pots of boiling water, cook them right in the oven!

Put a baking sheet on the bottom of the oven then place all the eggs you need cooked directly on the oven rack. This is in case they break, it will be got by the sheet. Bake the eggs at 325°F. for half an hour (do not preheat).

Take the eggs out of the oven then put them directly into a big bowl of very cold water (with ice added). This will stop the eggs from cooking and make them easier to peel too.

■When cream will not whip, add the white of an egg to your cream–chill it and it will whip.
■If egg yolks become stringy after being added to hot puddings, especially tapioca, use a beater; the lumps will adhere to the beater and leave the pudding smooth.
■A well-beaten white of egg added to mashed potatoes will add to the looks and taste of the dish.
■If an egg has a very thin shell, or is chipped, and likely to crack when being boiled, add a few drops of vinegar to the water.
■When making mayonnaise add the white of the egg to the mixture after the vinegar is added. This will prevent curdling.
■Eggs beat up lighter and make finer cake when not too cold. They should be at cool room temperature (60°F. to 70°F.) for best results. When making sponge cakes, especially angel food, remove eggs from refrigerator several hours before using.
■Don’t wash eggs before storing. Water destroys the protective film that keeps out air and odors.
■The fresher the egg, the harder it is to remove the shell of hard-cooked eggs. Use eggs you’ve had the longest.

■Many cook books advise taking eggs out of the refrigerator long enough before using them to allow them to warm up to room temperature. This is only necessary if making recipes where fat, sugar and eggs must be blended together. Cold eggs will harden the fat and the batter looks curdled, and this may affect the texture of the finished product.

■To prevent curdling when making custards, mix sugar with egg, add hot liquid, a little at a time. Cook over hot not boiling water or over very low heat. Do not overcook.

■■The color of the egg shell has nothing to do with the quality of an egg. Buy brown or white eggs, whichever are cheaper. Old ones are smooth and shiny while fresh eggs are rough and chalky in appearance.

Egg tip information found from this site.

To easily remove the shell when boiling eggs add a good amount of salt or vinegar to the water. The salt helps the egg whites to firm up faster and stay separate from the shell. (Also, if you happen to crack an egg as you put it in, this will help the white to seal up the crack)

To prevent eggs from cracking when added to boiling water, let stand in warm water a few minutes while cooking water is being brought to boiling point.

Over-cooking a hard-boiled egg results in a greyish green ring around the outside of the yolk. To avoid this when you are wanting your eggs to look pretty, chill the egg in cold water immediately after cooking. (The grey ring is just unappetizing to look at)

If you have some boiled eggs in the fridge and you can’t remember which ones are cooked and which ones aren’t, just give them a good spin.
A hard boiled egg will spin like crazy and a raw egg will only spin a few times.

When baking, it is best to use large eggs. And, a good way to judge whether your eggs should be used straight out of the fridge or should be at room temperature is based on the butter. If the butter in the recipe is supposed to be cold then the eggs can be too, but if the butter is supposed to be room temperature or warmer then the eggs should be room temperature as well.

When a recipe calls for eggs to be whipped they should be at room temperature for maximum volume. The whites of eggs will whip more readily if a pinch of salt is added to them.

To warm eggs quickly to room temperature, place the eggs (shell on, of course) in a small bowl and cover them with steaming hot tap water. Let them sit for a couple of minutes until no longer cold to the touch.

Not sure how old the eggs are in your fridge? An easy way to tell if an egg has gone bad is to drop it gently into a cup of water. If it floats, throw it in the trash.

Interesting fact: The egg carton was invented to solve a dispute about broken eggs between a farmer and the owner of a Hotel. Joseph Coyle from British Columbia was the smarty-pants behind that one.

I really like this gals sense of humor, she asks:
And, the age old question that must be asked. What do you think came first: the chicken or the egg? :)

If you have any other egg tips I would love to read them, leave me a comment

Whoopie Pies made from a boxed cake mix!

GOOD heavens these babies are amazing! And what makes them extra special is they are from a cake mix! I am really enjoying taking short cuts! I took the recipe straight from Group Recipes. I will definitely be making pumpkin flavored pies and red velvet pies.

It takes 10 minutes to create this loveliness and serves approximately 16 people. My second favorite about this recipe is you can choose any flavor cake mix your heart desires : red velvet, pumpkin, strawberry, lemon etc! OOHh, the options are endless.  I am going to be making a sugardoodle cake! It would be heaven to make sugardoodle pies! YUM YUM YUM!

Remember I took this recipe straight from Group Recipes and did no adapting. Just copied it and created it and it is true to its directions. ***The only thing I did differently was I only used 1TBL spoon mound of batter for my pie rounds. They were a bit large.  The next time I create this I will try 1/2 a table spoon and see if that will lend to the perfect size finger food that I am looking for!***
This was 1TBLsp. prior to baking. I would have liked my pies to be this diameter as a finished product.

 PIES

• 1 boxed cake mix (I've made this with different cake mixes...chocolate, lemon, spice, Strawberry and my favorite, Red Velvet)
• 3eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup oil

 Filling

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups marshmallow Fluff
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. salt

How to make it

---

• Preheat oven to 400
• Line cookie sheet with parchment paper
• In mixing bowl beat all ingredients on medium low speed until well combined
• Drop by 2 tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets, 2 inches apart
• Bake 8-10 minutes, until puffed and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
• Cool on rack until completely cool
• In mixing bowl, add butter, marshmallow, powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and salt
• Beat until smooth
• Put 1/2 of pies, flat side up, on a cool baking sheet
• Mound about 1 1/2 tbls. filling in the center of each
• Top with remaining pies, rounded side up, and press gently so filling spreads Keep chilled until ready to serve
  

Italian Baked Pork Chops

YUM YUM IN MY TUMMY TUM TUM! We haven't had pork chops in a very long time! I think swine is definitely the under appreciated other white meat! I mean... I'm just saying!

My trick to ensuring that pork chops are always tender and moist is to boil them completely covered in water in a skillet. I will cook them almost completely done where there is showing just the slightest shade of blush or pale pink! (Think Steele Magnolias, if you are too young to know that movie. I can't only say, Sorry)

I then remove the skillet from the stove and drain the water and take rinse the pork chops. The following recipe is for 8 servings.

2 TBL. spoons dijon mustard
2 TBL spoons olive oil
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup Italian Bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Please add more oil or mustard to form a crust like consistency when applying to chops! This recipe was created on whim and I added things as I went. When you get into it, you will be able to see and adjust to what looks right to you.

Preheat oven to 400 degress and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl whisk all ingredients together. Apply to both sides of the pork chops and place on parchment paper.
Bake 10 minutes or until just cooked through. It will form a slight crust texture. If you wish you could flip the pork chops over and cook again until just crusted or at this point, they are ready to be removed from oven. Let rest 5 minutes.

I served this with mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes!