Ontario Down Home Food

2013-01-06T19:03:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin and Oatmeal Cookies

These are the best kind of cookie, they make tons, easy to freeze, and the one thing most people don't know is that, squash (any kind) can be substituted for pumpkin. So I not only make these in the fall, but they are great anytime of the year. Extra frozen squash in the freezer, poof you have pumpkin cookies. Don't tell them and then will never know. I found this recipe on all recipes.com it is now a keeper at our house

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oat
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned) or squash
2 cups raisins

Preheat oven to 350°F Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla then stir in the pumpkin puree. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until well blended. Mix in raisins. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto un-greased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Butter Sauce For Plum Pudding

2012-01-01T11:30:00.003-05:00

This is one of those family recipes that you do not want to lose. Mine has been passed down generation to generation. It is not christmas for me without this sauce on Plum Pudding. I hope one day my kids will pass it down to theirs.

GREAT GRANNIES BUTTER SAUCE

This sauce is to pour over plum pudding and is excellent. Granny Whalen died around 1970 at 90 years old. She passed this recipe down to my grandmother and then to my mom and then to me. She was a midwife in Quebec.

2 eggs
2 cups white sugar

Beat this until frothy and add 1 cup melted butter, Beat again and add 4 tbsp vinegar and cook in a double boiler very slowly (1/2 hour) do not boil.

Date Squares

2011-09-15T16:07:00.000-04:00

Date Squares

Date Filling:

3 cups dried pitted dates
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Oatmeal Crust

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter

Date Filling:

(Side note you can do all this work or you can go to your local health store and they have it already done for you in tubs.)

Place the dates and water in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the dates are soft and have absorbed most of the water (about 5-10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool to room temperature and then puree in your food processor.

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 9 X13 pan with non stick spray or butter.

Oatmeal Crust:

In the bowl of your food processor, place the oats, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. Pulse to combine. Then add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Place 2/3 of the mixture in the bottom of your pan.

Spread the dates evenly over the oatmeal crust. Sprinkle the remaining dough evenly over the top of the dates. Bake for about 30 - 40 minutes or until golden brown. Once the squares have cooled place container in the refrigerator at least one hour or until firm enough to cut easily into squares..

These will keep for about a week.

Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-08-07T14:58:00.000-04:00

Ok so this cookie recipe is excellent, my daughter loves to make this recipe. It is really good. She won first prize at our local fair with this recipe. In the picture you see below she used a chocolate pudding mix instead of vanilla you can really use any kind. You can also use a butterscotch pudding with butterscotch chipits.

Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding Mix

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

Dill Pickle Relish

2011-08-03T17:08:00.001-04:00

This recipe is for those of us who love, love, love dill pickles on their hamburgs or hotdogs. This is the most awesome and easiest recipe to do in canning. Let me say I love my food processor.

Dill Pickle Relish

This recipe makes 6 cups servings
Ingredients

4 lb (1.8 kg) pickling cucumbers (12 cups of sliced cucumbers)
1/4 cup (50 mL) pickling salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) turmeric
2 cups (500 mL) white vinegar
1/3 cup (75 mL) granulated sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp (15 mL) dill, seeds
2 tsp (10 mL) mustard seeds
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) finely chopped onions
Preparation:

Scrub cucumbers and trim off ends; cut into chunks. In batches in food processor, pulse cucumbers 8 to 10 times to cut into 1/8- to 1/4-inch (3 to 5 mm) pieces. In large bowl, sprinkle cucumbers with salt and turmeric. Stir in 1 cup (250 mL) cold water; let stand for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Drain in large sieve. Rinse under cold water; drain again, pressing out moisture.

In Dutch oven, bring vinegar, sugar, garlic, dillseeds and mustard seeds to boil. Add cucumber mixture and onions; return to boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 30 minutes.

Fill hot 1-cup (250 mL) canning jars, leaving 1/2-inch (1 cm) headspace. Cover with prepared lids. Screw on bands until resistance is met; increase to fingertip tight. Boil in boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

Garlic Dill Pickle Slices

2011-08-01T17:43:00.002-04:00

So Dill Pickles in my house do not last very long. I do many different types of Dill Pickles but they all use the same basic recipe. For example today I made Dill Pickle Chips, by this I mean I cut them in slices and we use them on our hamburgers or sandwiches. So far I have only seven bottles made that will not be enough to make it past the end of September and we have to wait at least two weeks before we can even eat them.

Before you get all crazy, I know that the following is a lot to read. But and this is a big but in all actuality these take about 45 minutes to make from start to finish. I just wanted to give you enough information to help you along the way. Some of this information has been taken from another site, I just could not say it any better than she did. I really wish I could remember which site I got this from. I actually originally down loaded this for a friend to try to explain how to make dill pickles and how easy it is, but all the writing scared her away. Actually I brought her here and showed her how to do it and she said that's it, your kidding. I said nope it really that easy.

Pickles can be as quick and easy as pouring hot brine over cold cucumbers in jars and processing in a water bath. The methods of making pickles, the varieties of pickles, and the recipes for making them would fill several cookbooks, so I am not going to try for all-inclusive here. I’ll walk you through a basic dill pickle recipe, then you can experiment and find the recipe that will be cherished and handed down in your family with your name attached to it. Imagine having your great-grandchildren bugging their mother for Nana Kim’s Garlic Dills recipe! (Well, that only works if your name is Kim, so try imagining it with your name inserted.)

Select only ripe, firm, unblemished pickling cucumbers of the appropriate size for your recipe. Mushy cucumbers will not magically become crispy when brined. Pickling cucumbers have a thinner skin than regular cucumbers, so they are best used within 2 days of harvest.

Use pickling or canning salt which is pure salt without additives. Table salt has anti-caking agents and iodine which will make your brine cloudy. Don’t modify the amount of salt, sugar, vinegar, or water in a recipe. They work together to produce a safe pH level for the pickles and a good flavour balance.

The jars need to be hot when you fill them. You can run clean jars though a sanitizing cycle in the dishwasher, or fill them with hot water and put them in a pot of hot water over low heat. I like to use the canning pot as a hot water bath.

Most pickles need to mature at least a week for the best flavor. Label the finished jars with the date they were made and the date they’ll be ready to eat.

Grape leaves or alum are sometimes added to a pickle jar to enhance the crunchiness of the pickles.

1- Scrub the cucumbers gently under running water to remove dirt and prickly bits. Trim off 1/8-inch (3 mm) from each end and prick all over with a fork. This is not necessary if you are cutting the pickles up into slices or if you are using cut pickles.

2- Wash jars thoroughly in hot, soapy water and rinse well. Fill the jars with hot water and place them in the canning pot. Fill the canning pot with hot water, making sure the water covers the jars by at least 1 inch (2.5 cm).

3- Cover the pot and bring the water almost to a boil over medium-high heat (30 to 60 minutes). When the water is almost boiling, reduce the heat to keep it at a simmer and keep the pot covered until you’re ready to use the jars.

4- In a small saucepan, bring 2 inches (5 cm) of water to a simmer. Add the lid disks, cover the saucepan, and take it off the heat.

5- Working in batches, with a colander, rinse and drain the cucumbers. Rinse again and drain well. Set aside.

6- In a pot combine the salt, water, and vinegar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often until salt is dissolved. Boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and keep liquid hot. Keep covered to prevent evaporation when you’re not using the liquid.

7- Use the jar lifter to lift a jar out of the simmering water. Pour the hot water out into the sink and put the jar on a towel on the counter. Place 1 grape leaf (if using), 6 pieces of garlic, 4 to 5 peppercorns and 1 dill head into the jar. Pack cucumbers into the jar, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) headspace, and top with 6 pieces of garlic and 1 dill head.

8- Place the canning funnel over the jar and using a ladle, pour hot pickling liquid into the jar, leaving 1/2-inch (1 cm) headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace as necessary by adding hot pickling liquid. Wipe the rim with a clean cloth or paper towel dipped in warm water. Using the silicone tongs, remove a lid disk from the saucepan of hot water and place it on the jar. Screw on a band until it’s fingertip-tight.

9- Repeat steps 6 and 7 with the remaining jars and ingredients.

10- Place the jars in the canner and return to a boil. Process for 15 minutes (start timing after the water has reached boiling). Turn off heat and remove the lid from the canning pot. Let the jars stand in the hot water for 5 minutes. Then use the canning tongs to transfer the jars to a clean towel on the counter and let them stand for 24 hours. You should start to hear the happy pinging of lids sealing as they cool. Any jars that do not seal should be refrigerated. Once the jars are cooled, label them with the name of the recipe, the date made, and the date they’ll be ready. You do not have to put Garlic in your dill pickles we just really like garlic here.

Dill Pickle Slices

2 cups of white vinegar
2 cups of water (tap water is fine)
2 tablespoons of salt (pickling or kosher — not iodized table salt)
4 heads of fresh dill, or 4 tsp of dill seeds
4 cloves of garlic
8 to 10 cucumbers

Pickled Beets - Award Winning

2011-08-01T10:42:00.004-04:00

Well it is canning season in my household so for the next little bit you are going to see all my canning recipes. This year I entered some of my canning in a local fair and guess what I won, so this is why they are now called Award Winning Beet Pickles. Sometimes the easiest recipes are the best and the tastiest, as they say less is more. I plant cylinder beets because they are easier to can but you can use any kind you like.

Award Winning Beet Pickles

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups vinegar
1 tbsp pickling spice

Directions

Trim off beet tops, leaving 1 inch of stem and roots to prevent bleeding of color. Wash thoroughly. I like using cylinder type beets because they look really nice when they are canned, plus they are easier to cut up for the jars. I plant this type of beet, but you can use any kind.

Cover similar sizes together with boiling water and cook until tender (about 25 to 30 minutes).
Caution: Drain and discard liquid. Cool beets.

Trim off roots and stems and slip off skins. Slice into 1/4-inch slices. Combine vinegar, sugar, and fresh water. Put spices in cheesecloth bag and add to vinegar mixture.

Bring to a boil. Add beets. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove spice bag.
Fill jars with beets, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Add hot vinegar solution, allowing 1/2-inch head space.

Adjust lids and process pints and quarts for 30 minutes (Sea level-1000 feet), 40 minutes (1000-6000 feet) or 45 minutes (6000+ feet).

Variation. Pickled whole baby beets. Follow above directions but use beets that are 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Pack whole; do not slice.

Parisian Potatoes Recipe

2011-07-31T18:39:00.001-04:00

I do these on the BBQ in a casserole dish to bake in the summer, then my kitchen is not hot. Like tonight for supper we had ribs, these potatoes and fresh corn from our neighbours garden. I did everything out side on the BBQ and yes even the corn. If I am in a hurry I just peel my potato and cut them up into cubes about 1 inch in diameter. You can also bake these in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Parisian Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients

16 small new potatoes peeled or you can leave the skin on
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 tbsp butter
1 small onion chopped2 sprigs of thyme, leaves only
1 tbsp parsley - finely chopped

2 tbsp garlic or to your taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Peel the potatoes.
Using a Parisienne scoop (or melon baller), scoop out balls of potato, approximately 1.5cm in diameter. I am very lucky I can buy this already done at my local grocery. Another thing you can do is just cut up your potato into cubes and use them that way it does not have to be perfect. If I am in a hurry I just peel my potato and cut them up into cubes about 1 inch in diameter.
Place the potato balls in a pot and cover with cold water.
Bring to the boil and then drain
Place all ingredients in a 9 X 13 pyrex pan stirring them to make sure they are covered in the mixture. Place on the BBQ for about 20 minutes. Shaking the pan occasionally to ensure they are cooked evenly. You can also bake these in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Favorite Chocolate Cake

2011-07-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

This is one of those recipes that you do not want to lose. This chocolate cake is moist and just plain yummy.

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup cocoa
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Then add milk, eggs, oil and vanilla. Mix with the mixer for about 2 minutes, then add boiling water, while mixing.

Pour batter into two eight inch greased and floured round cake pans. Batter will be quite runny.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Marshmallow Fondant

2011-07-28T17:29:00.002-04:00

Fondant

Marshmallow Fondant

Ingredients:

8 ounces miniature marshmallows (4 cups not packed, or half of a 16-ounce bag)
1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups), plus extra for dusting
2 tbsp water
Food coloring or flavored extracts, optional

Preparation:

1. Dust your counter or a large cutting board with powdered sugar. Place the marshmallows and the water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute, until the marshmallows are puffy and expanded.

2. Stir the marshmallows with a rubber spatula until they are melted and smooth. If some unmelted marshmallow pieces remain, return to the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until the marshmallow mixture is entirely smooth and free of lumps. If you want colored or flavored fondant, you can add several drops of food coloring or extracts at this point and stir until incorporated. If you want to create multiple colors or flavors from one batch of fondant, do not add the colors or flavors now. Instead, refer to step 6 below for instructions.

3. Add the powdered sugar and begin to stir with the spatula. Stir until the sugar begins to incorporate and it becomes impossible to stir anymore.

4. Scrape the marshmallow-sugar mixture out onto the prepared work surface. It will be sticky and lumpy, with lots of sugar that has not been incorporated yet--this is normal. Dust your hands with powdered sugar, and begin to knead the fondant mixture like bread dough, working the sugar into the marshmallow with your hands.

5. Continue to knead the fondant until it smoothes out and loses its stickiness. Add more sugar if necessary, but stop adding sugar once it is smooth--too much sugar will make it stiff and difficult to work with. Once the fondant is a smooth ball, it is ready to be used. You can now roll it out, shape it, or wrap it in cling wrap to use later. Well-wrapped fondant can be stored in a cool room or in the refrigerator, and needs to be kneaded until supple before later use.

6. If you want to add coloring or flavoring to your fondant, flatten it into a round disc. You might want to wear gloves to avoid getting food coloring on your hands during this step. Add your desired amount of coloring or flavoring to the center of the disc, and fold the disc over on itself so that the color or flavor is enclosed in the center of the fondant ball.

7. Begin to knead the ball of fondant just like you did before. As you work it, you will begin to see streaks of color coming through from the center. Continue to knead until the streaks are gone and the fondant is a uniform color. Your fondant is now ready to be used or stored as outlined above.

Chef Boyardee Pizza Sauce

2011-07-13T15:23:00.001-04:00

As a kid I grew up loving Chef Boyardee Pizza's, especially the sauce. This is the closest I have ever come to actually reproducing. Everyone says it is dead on. I think the tomato soup is the thing that makes it taste like Chef Boyardee.

Chef Boyardee Pizza Sauce

1 tin condensed tomato soup

1 can no-name pizza sauce

4 tsp pizza seasoning

4 tbsp water

Mix up and put on pizza crust.

Easy Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

2011-06-25T14:21:00.000-04:00

This recipe is awesome, you can really use any cake mix you want. I also used a white cake mix and sprinkled colored sugar on top. Just remember any cake mix, 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 2 eggs and poof you have cookies. The kids went wild for these and it is so easy. You don't have to add the chocolate chips to the top of these cookies, I did just to make them look nice. Also my kids love chocolate chips.

Easy Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

1 Duncan Heinz Cake Mix (Devil's Food Works Great)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 Eggs

Mix oil and eggs together in mixing bowl, then add cake mix. Mix for one minute. You then pick up small amounts of dough roll into a ball and squish with your fingers flat on the baking sheet. I use parchment paper so they don't stick. On top place 3 chocolate chips on each cookie.

Bake 350 for 8 - 10 minutes.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

2011-06-20T15:26:00.001-04:00

So in my neck of the woods, it strawberry and raspberry time. The rhubarb is coming along nicely and my thoughts start to go to canning. Yes I can or freeze everything in any shape or size. Today's mission was strawberry rhubarb jam, my hubbies favorite. One thing to remember when canning is never double the recipe and never change the ingredient amounts, it just won't turn out if you do. The other thing to remember when doing jam especially never use your food processor to chop up the berries, use a good old fashioned potato smasher.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

2 cups crushed strawberries

2 cups chopped rhubarb

1 box pectin crystals

5 1/2 cups sugar

Hull and crush berries, one layer at a time. Thinly slice or chop rhubarb.

In a large saucepan stir together prepared strawberries and rhubarb and pectin crystals. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once it is boiling add the sugar. Return to a hard boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir for 5 minutes. Pour into warm sterilized jars to 1/4 inch from the rim. Cover with lids and screw rings on tightly.

How to Sterilized Jars

This is my method and it works every time for me. Wash jars thoroughly, rinse and place in the oven. Set oven temperature to 225 and cook the jars for about 10 minutes. When your jam is almost done place the lids in a pot of boiling water and should set there until you are ready to use.

Butter Pecan Cake Mix Cookies

2011-06-14T14:26:00.002-04:00

If you can't already tell I am on a cookie rampage, all I can do is eat, think, and sleep cookies. My kids are gobbling them up so fast, I have been making multiple batches everyday. So the other day I stumbled upon the cookie recipe for cake mix cookies, which by my standards are to good to be true. So now everytime I go into the supermarket I am looking for all different types of cake mixes. On the weekend I stumbled upon a butter pecan cake mix. So today here is my concoction of Cake Mix Butter Pecan Cookies.

Butter Pecan Cake Mix Cookies

1 package butter pecan cake mix (18.25 - ounce)

1/3 cup butter, melted

2 large eggs

Butterscotch baking chips

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick foil or lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl combine half the cake mix, butter and eggs with an electric mixer on medium high speed, until smooth.
Stir in the remaining dry butter pecan cake mix, with a wooden spoon just until combined and moistened.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart
Place a couple of baking chips on top of each cookie.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until the center is just barely set when lightly touched with your fingertip and the edges are firm.
Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for a minute or two.
Transfer the cookies to wire racks with a metal spatula and allow them to cool completely before storing.

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies

2011-06-07T12:30:00.000-04:00

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies

Description:

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies are a perfect marriage
of rich chocolate and creamy peanut butter, easy to make and fun to share.

Cookies

1 box Duncan Hines® Chewy Fudge Premium Brownie Mix or Duncan Hines® Milk Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix
1/4 cup butter
4 oz of softened cream cheese
1 egg

Peanut Butter Filling:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup peanut butter

Frosting:

Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Milk Chocolate Frosting or Classic Chocolate Frosting

Baking Instructions

Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, beat brownie mix, softened butter,softened cream cheese and egg. Mix either by hand or by using a mixer.

Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into balls and place on lightly greased or parchment lined cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Should make 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar and peanut butter together and roll into small balls using about 1 teaspoon. Press peanut butter balls into surface of uncooked brownie cookies and slightly flatten cookie. Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are set. Cookies may appear slightly under cooked, but do not overbake. Cool on cookie sheets for about 3 mins and transfer to wire rack.

If Desired: Place 6 tablespoons of frosting into a microwave safe container and melt (30 seconds), drizzle melted chocolate over top of cookie. Cool.

For easy clean up, place wax paper or parchment paper under wire rack -- then drizzle the frosting on cookies.

Really Easy French Bread

2011-06-02T15:18:00.006-04:00

Ingredients:

6 cups all-purpose flour

21/2 packages active dry yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon cornmeal

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

Directions

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 minutes. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, turn over once to cover the entire ball in oil ( I use olive oil). Cover and let stand in a warm place until doubled

Push dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.

Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover witha damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled.

With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated over 375 degrees F oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixtue, bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until bread test done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.

Mexican Hamburger Casserole

2011-05-30T14:47:00.000-04:00

MEXICAN HAMBURGER CASSEROLE

1 lb. hamburger
1 pkg taco mix

Salsa

Cheese Whiz or I make Cheese Sauce with butter, flour and milk and then cheese
1 pkg. (12) soft corn tortillas
1 c. or more shredded cheddar cheese

Brown hamburger drain and add taco mix. In the bottom of a round casserole dish lay 1 soft tortilla, then put a lay of taco mix and hamburger, a little bit of salsa around it, then a thin layer of cheese sauce. Then repeat 2 or 3 times till the casserole is full. The sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut into pie wedges and serve.

Rhubarb Pie

2011-05-29T15:49:00.000-04:00

Rhubarb Pie

Fruit

1-3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
5 cups cut-up fresh rhubarb (1/2-inch pieces)
3 tablespoons butter or margarine

Mix all ingredients together and place into pie shell, top with 3 tablespoons butter and then place pie crust on top making small slits in the crust. You can also put the crumble crust on top of this.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2011-05-29T15:35:00.000-04:00

Well now that I have made my crust I need something to put into it so my hubbies' favorite pie is strawberry rhubarb and I have a garden full of rhubarb right now, so that is what he is gonna get. Oh my goodness was this good, my hubby just ate it up. Now he likes the kind with the crumble crust. I like mine with a regular top and bottom crust.

Ingredients

4 cups rhubarb
2 cup strawberries, sliced and hulled
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
dash of salt

Mix all the ingredients together and put in a pie crust.

Crumble Top

2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
dash of salt
1/4 cup of margarine

Combine flour, sugar, nutmeg and salt. Stir in butter just until crumbly and spread over fruit. Bake pie at 400 for 20 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 40 minutes or until filling is bubbling. If the crusts at the side start to get brown just cover with tin foil.

Makes 1 9 inch pie. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

No Fail - Pie Crust

2011-05-29T15:02:00.002-04:00

Don't worry about over kneading this dough, it seems to always turn out light and fluffy. This is one of the staples of my baking recipes. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost it.

No Fail Pie Crust

2 cups of flour

1 tsp white sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup lard

1/3 cup cold water

1 egg yolk

1 tsp white vinegar

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the lard until mixture resembles coarse meal.

In a separate bowl, whisk together water, egg yolk, and vinegar. Stir into the dry ingredients and then knead dough briefly just until it is smooth. Allow to rest about 20 minutes before rolling. I put it in the refrigerator because pastry is always easier to roll when it is chilled. Can be stored up to one week in the refrigerator.

Crock Pot Chinese Chicken

2011-05-26T10:41:00.003-04:00

I will tell something about this recipe it is excellent and easy, another thing I would add to it and my family loves is sliced celery and carrots. I serve it over rice. The kids went wild for it.

Crock Pot Chinese Chicken

2 pounds boneless chicken pieces
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup lemon lime soda
2 to 3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper

2 tsp ginger

Place chicken in crock pot, I cut it up into one inch cubes.. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over chicken. Cover; cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve over rice or noodles. To thicken sauce, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and add to the crockpot

Refrigerator Cookies

2011-05-25T17:51:00.001-04:00

These are one of those cookies that I always seem to need, the great thing about them is that at Christmas time I tint them red or green at Easter they are purple, orange at hallow e'en. For the Halloween ones I make sure they are really round when I roll them up and use black icing to draw a happy face on them

Refrigerator Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup butter (I use margarine, when I do I use a little less)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a medium bowl cream together the sugar and butter until smooth. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, gradually stir into the creamed mixture until all flour is absorbed. Shape dough into rolls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in waxed paper; refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or up to 1 week.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Unwrap chilled rolls and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are lightly browned. Remove from baking sheets immediately to cool on wire racks.

Mom's Double Chocolate Cookies

2011-05-24T18:28:00.001-04:00

This is one recipe that kids love. I bake a batch and they are gone. Once again this is a crazy week, so keep your eyes out for quick supper fixes. Don't ask me where this recipe came from it was scribbled on a piece of paper tucked in a recipe book.

Mom's Double Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

12 oz chocolate chips

3/4 cup margarine

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Melt 12 oz chocolate chips in a glass microwave-safe bowl and let cool. Cream together 3/4 cup margarine and 1 cup white sugar. Add 2 eggs and melted chocolate. Beat well.
Gradually add 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt.

After that has mixed well stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Drop by small spoonfuls onto parchment paper covered baking sheets and flatten with fork. Bake at 350 degrees F for 6-8 minutes.

Hamburg Casserole

2011-05-20T11:25:00.002-04:00

Well once again this week, we lost power again. Yeah us so last night we were camping again or that is what the kids call it. One of the great things about living in the country is that you never know when your power or phone is going to go out. At least where we live anyways, our power lines to our house are old and need to be replaced, but hydro always seems to have something else to do. Our phone on the other hand, when it even rains a little we lose it. They tell us that one of the buried lines must be getting moisture in it. This is one of those recipes that is great on a rainy day or during the winter months when you need comfort food. The great thing about this recipe is that it can be done in a casserole or in a crock pot. A crock pot is a great thing to have when you lose power. They are easily plugged into a generator and poof in 6 hours you have supper all nice and warm. So any guesses as to what we are having for supper tonight? Yep its the old Hamburger Casserole.

Hamburg Casserole

1 lb hamburg

sliced potato

1 onion

carrots

can of tomato soup

1/2 cup water

1 lb hamburg on bottom of casserole. Layer sliced potato, onion and carrot on top of hamburg. I usually do 2 layers of potato, onion, carrot. Mix one can of tomato soup and 1/2 cup water and pour over ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bake 350 for 1 hour.

Marvellous Meatballs

2011-05-18T22:21:00.001-04:00

These meatballs can be made in advance and frozen, I usually do a double batch then freeze them and take them out when I need them for supper. These meatballs and sauce can be served over rice. My hubby loves these and it is a quick supper when I am in a hurry.

Marvellous Meatballs

1 lb hamburg

1/4 tsp garlic

1 egg

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp onion powder

Sauce:

1 cup soya sauce

3/4 grape jelly

3/4 cup chilli sauce

Meatballs - Mix above ingredients for meatballs together, form into small balls and place onto a cookie sheet bake in a 350 oven for about 20 - 30 minutes or until they are done, either cool and freeze or place in a casserole dish. Just cook what you need for supper and freeze the rest.

Sauce: Mix sauce ingredients together in a blender or food processor, place meatballs into a casserole dish and pour sauce over them, bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes.