Secrets of a Southern Kitchen

Coupon Alert--Ocean Spray® Fruit Flavored Snacks

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:33:00 +0000

MyBlogSpark and Ocean Spray have sent me coupon offer for $1.10 off two boxes of Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks, which I'm allowed to share with my readers. These fruit snacks are made with fruit juice, and although they aren't designed to replace fruit in your diet, they make a good snack alternative to candy for you or for your kids.

Click on the link highlight above and print your coupon-courtesy of MyBlogSpark and Ocean Spray.

Disclosure--I have received no compensation for sharing this link.

My Ode to Butter

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

"Is there anything better than butter?"

That's my favorite line from one of my favorite movies--Julie & Julia--about the food blogger(Julie) who cooked and blogged her way through her foodie idol's (Julia Child) cookbook, blogging all the while.

I have to say, one the best discoveries I've made in recent years is how delicious (and actually healthy) "real" butter is. You see, I was a margarine gal my whole life. I mean, we used to say "butter"--as in "put the butter on the table" or "get stick of butter out the fridge", but what we actually used was margarine--whether in stick or tub, hard or soft, it was margarine.

But in recent years, whether as a result of the back to nature/green/whole foods/real food movement, or the discovery that real food without all of the chemicals and preservatives was healthier for us, or just the acknowledgement, as I tried to learn to cook more from scratch, that butter and things made with butter just taste better than those made with margarine, my husband and I use a lot more butter these days than we used to.

The only drawback, if you could call it that, to using butter instead of tub margarine or spread, whatever that is, is that you have to remember to put the butter out to soften before you can use it on toast, or rolls, or even just good bread-and-butter at dinner. And I never remember. I've tried some of the "spreadable butter" products, whipped butter, and even just popping it into the microwave, but it either doesn't spread right, or it ends up melted instead of softened. Years ago when I visited my mother-in-law in the mountains of northern California for the first time, she just kept a stick of regular "hard" margarine or butter on a saucer in one of her kitchen cabinets--soft, room-temperature butter or margarine at all times. Unfortunately, here is the heat and humidity of the Deep South, if I did that, I would open my cabinet door to a puddle of melted butter, full of ants or worse, and probably with a coating of green, purple, and black fuzz, to boot.

So I very interested to read about The Original Butterbell Crock by L.Tremain . It promises to "Keep Your Butter Fresh Delicious and Spreadable for up to 30 days...without refrigeration!"

As a family run business, they're looking to increase familiarilty and awareness of their products. If you're on facebook, visit their facebook page...

And if this looks like a product you'd like to try, for the next two days they have a special buy-2-get-1-free deal going on.

I'm thinking I'd like to try one of these myself!

So how about it? Are you a butter convert like me, or is margarine still your spread of choice?

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

This is a sponsored post, brought to you by The Butter Bell Crock, who has partnered with
FoodieBlogroll.

My Quick and Easy Hamantaschen

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 23:35:00 +0000

Tonight at sundown marks the beginning of the Purim, or the Feast of Esther--the celebration of the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the enemy as told in the book of Esther. I thought I'd share this quick and easy version of hamentaschen, or Haman's hats, that I came up with a few years ago. (hiss, hiss, stomp, clap) (In order to obliviate the very name of Haman, who schemed to destroy God's people, when the story of Esther is read or told, the audience must hiss or stomp or use noisemakers anytime his name is mentioned--thus the "hiss, hiss, stomp, clap"!)

Ingredients:

pie crust--for this I want a smooth, even crust, so I use my old faithful ready-made crusts

pie filling of your choice--I like cinnamon spice apple, or blueberry

powdered sugar to sift over the finished product

You need a pie filling with small "bits", so when I do this with apple filling, I use my pastry cutter to smash the pieces so that I have smaller pieces of fruit.

Use a biscuit cutter or the top of a glass to cut as many circles as you can get from your pie crust. You can take the bits that are left and re-roll and cut again, if you like.

Place a small amount of the filling on each circle--I used a heaping tablespoon, and almost overfilled some of mine.

Fold the sides up into the traditional three-cornered hat shape.

It's been a couple of years since I made these, and the first batch I did started coming apart at the corners when they started baking, so I really pinched the corners together on the next batch. I had a reader leave a comment on my previous post about hamantaschen, suggesting using an egg wash to make the corners stick--I haven't tried it yet, but it makes sense to me!

Bake at 400-450 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet to a cooling tray. (This was the first batch--see how they started coming apart? Still tasted good, though!)

Dust with powdered sugar right before serving.

These are so good--I'm not usually a big fan of fruit pies, especially apple, but these just the right proportion of crust to filling--and big dollop of whipped cream on top doesn't hurt any, either! (I suspect they would be good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, too, but they never seem to last long enough for me to get to try that.)

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

This post is linked to:

Delicious Dishes at It's a Blog Party

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Bizzy Bakes

My Favorite No-Cook Banana Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 02:30:00 +0000

I first posted about this recipe almost three years ago--and I called it "Not Your Granny's Banana Pudding".

I just made this again tonight to take to a church dinner tomorrow, and because I'm here alone, guess who got to lick the bowl?

You got it!

And I remembered why I liked it so much.

It has all the good stuff in it--sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, and cool whip--not the mention the regular stuff, too, like pudding and milk and bananas and vanilla wafers. I mean, that's some pretty good stuff, too, right? But when you combine the really good stuff with the regular good stuff--you really do get Secrets of a Southern Kitchen.

Click on over and see the recipe, then add it to your must-try list of recipes. It's a real keeper.

Until next time, good (un)cooking, and good eating!

This recipe recap is linked to:

Delicious Dishes at It's a Blog Party

Meatless Mondays at My Sweet and Savory

Eggless Eggnog--Just Call This "Nog"

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:58:00 +0000

Today's recipe is an oldie but a goodie--an eggless version of one of my favorite holiday indulgences--eggnog--one that I just call "nog"!

I love, love, love, a good quality eggnog--and trust me, all brands that you buy are not created equally. The trouble with eggnog, though, is that it's pricey, loaded with calories, and full of all of those good things we try to stay away from--fat and sugar. This version is not only delicious, but less expensive, healthier, and can be modified even further to fit many types of dietary restrictions.

Ingedients:

1/2 gallon milk

1 pkg instant French vanilla pudding mix

1/2 c sugar

2 t vanilla

1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

Stir pudding mix, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon into about a cup of milk until well dissolved. Add the remaining milk, stirring well, and refrigerate until well chilled. Stir before serving, as the spices tend to float up.

The only thing missing from this eggless nog is the thickness of "real" eggnog, which can be somewhat remedied by stirring a dollop of whipped topping into each serving.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Gifts From the Kitchen--Microwave Fudge, Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Yesterday I shared a recipe for easy microwave fudge; dark and rich, it's made from easily available items that most of us stock in our holiday pantry.

Today's recipe is just as quick and easy, made from even more basic and readily available ingredients, but it's a whole different taste and texture--more like the old fashioned cooked sugar fudge of my childhood--and has to be my absolute favorite holiday indulgence.

Ingredients:

1 box confectioners sugar (approximately 3 1/2 cups)

1/2 c unsweetened cocoa

1/4 t salt

1/4 c milk

1/2 c (1 stick) butter

Put everything in a microwave safe bowl. Don't stir or mix or do anything to it. (Hint: you might want to sift the powdered sugar, just to get the lumps out and make it easier to mix)

Microwave for two minutes, then get it out and start stirring. You'll think it isn't going to work, but just keep stirring. At one point, everything was blended except for a few stubborn lumps of sugar, so I stuck it back in for another minute, then stirred again. A lot. At this point you can add nuts if you'd like. I decided to leave this batch plain.

Pour into a prepared (greased) pan--or better yet, line with foil and spray with cooking spray. Let cool--I stuck mine in the fridge and just left it for a couple of hours.

Turn out onto a cutting board, peel back the foil, and cut.

This is the best fudge I've made I've ever made. It's not smooth and creamy, it's firmer, sort of dry-ish and crumbly, just like the old fashioned sugar fudge of my cravings.

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

This post linked to:

What's Cooking Wednesday at the King's Court IV

Gifts From the Kitchen--Easy Microwave Fudge, Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Number three in my installment of gifts from the kitchen is a variation of an old stand-by--rich chocolate-y fudge.

This particular recipe is by far one of the easiest recipes for quick fudge that I've ever run across. The basic fudge has only three ingredients, but it lends itself to any number of variations.

Ingredients:

1 12 oz pkg chocolate chips

1 can sweetened , condensed milk

1 t vanilla

Grease a 9 x 9 pan--I lined my with foil and sprayed with cooking spray--you could probably use parchment paper, as well.

Combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a microwave safe bowl.

Microwave 2-3 minutes, stirring after every minute, or until chocolate is melted and the milk is incorporated (this picture is after 1 minute) I stirred again at 2 minutes and cooked it an additional 30 seconds just for good measure. Add vanilla and stir well. At this point, I decided on an add-in and stirred in about 1/3 cup of chopped pecans. (Next time I'd probably go with 1/2 cup).

Pour into your prepared pan and chill for about two hours.

Turn out onto a cutting board, peel back the foil if you used it, and it's ready to cut.

This made a thin, dark, rich tasting fudge. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but I think it would be good with milk-chocolate chips, as well as peanut butter or butterscotch flavored chips as well--which has me thinking about a layered version--peanut butter and chocolate or any number of other combinations.

I packed some of it in this cute little mini-lunch box tin that I bought in the seasonal decorations at Dollar Tree.

Besides the ease of this recipe, I liked the fact that the ingredients are items you can keep on hand for anytime, not just during the holidays. Chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk may not be something you keep on hand in a really basic pantry, but I think most of us have them on hand or readily available, at least.

Why not stock up while they're on sale everywhere and surprise your family with this luscious bite of rich chocolate later in the winter, when they aren't expecting it? Maybe you can make your own goodies for Valentine's Day, too, instead of buying "store-bought" candy.

Tomorrow I'll have another easy microwave fudge, but one that makes one that's totally different in taste and texture.

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

This post is linked to:

Delicious Dishes at It's a Blog Party

Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Gifts from the Kitchen--Quick and Easy Coconut Macaroons

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:06:00 +0000

For my second installment in the Gifts from the Kitchen series, I'm including a cookie that's an easy, delicious addition to any gift box or goodie bag. These are not those horrible hard ridge squares that passed for coconut macaroons in my childhood. Chewy in the middle, crunchy around the edges, they're like a taste of sweet lightness with every bite.

Ya'll know that "quick and easy" is my middle name when it comes to recipes--I had no idea that coconut macaroons were so easy to make, but for some reason I felt so impressed myself when I first made them a couple of years ago.

Ingredients:

1 14 oz pkg sweetened flake coconut

2/3 c sugar

6 T flour

1/4 t salt

4 egg whites

1 t almond extract (I used vanilla)

The recipe I used stated to mix everything together in a bowl--it works better to get all of the ingredients evenly distribued and incorporated if you mix the last five ingredients first, then add in the coconut.

Placing heaping spoonfuls on your prepared cookie sheets. The hardest part was trying the mounds all close to the same size. (This will be easier if you have a cookie scoop.)

Bake at 325 degrees for 17-20 minutes.

This is not really a batter, it has the texture of a wet pile of coconut--but it smells wonderful. And tastes pretty good, even uncooked. Warning--it's extremely sticky, even after you lick your fingers. Don't ask me how I know this.

At this point, they smell so very heavenly. Remove from the baking sheet to a rack to cool.

The first time I made these, I followed the original recipe recommendation to grease and flour the cookie sheets. Can you see how the flour on the baking sheet starts to brown? When you take the cookies off, the spatula leaves big strokes of messed up flour. So you have to wash the cookie sheet before you can re-use it, but instead of greasing and flouring it again...

...come to your senses and use parchment paper instead.

This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies.

They're just enough different from the usual cookies and candy that we all make at this time of the year to be a welcome change!

What goodies are you baking this holiday season?

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

This post linked to:

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Recipe Swap at the Gocery Cart Challenge

Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli'n Son

Home for the Holidays Cookie Swap at It's a Blog Party

Gifts From the Kitchen--Jar Mixes

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:54:00 +0000

A couple of years ago, I made several different homemade "jar mixes" to give as Christmas and "just because" gifts. I had forgotten how much fun I had making these until I was rimiscing over some old holiday posts. So as the first in my series on gifts from the kitchen (some oldies-but-goodies as well as a few new ones), I'm starting with this post on jar mixes.

These examples are made with common ingredients and go together with a minimum of fuss and muss, but they can be a simple or as complicated as you'd like to make them, and can be put together at the last minute or well-thought out in advance.

One of the reasons I loved these jar mixes is because right now everyone is getting inundated with goodies at every party and get-together--but these ready-made mixes make a pretty gift, and can be put away and brought back out to be appreciated one cold winter night when those New Years diet resolutions have worn off and the ready-made goodies everyone got at Christmas or Hanukkah are a dim memory.

All you need are the recipe ingredients and some quart jars with lids--wide mouth work better, but as you'll see, the smaller mouthed ones can work, as well. I got two of my recipes from Heart 4 Home's Gifts in a Jar, and used my own brownie recipe for the other. You can do this with just about any recipe, as long as the total volume doesn't exceed the size of your jar--in this case, a quart.

I gathered everything together this weekend for some major baking and "mixing" I had planned, and spread it all out with arm's length. Luckily I had a canning funnel to help fill the jars, but if you don't have one of these handy, you might want to make a loose funnel out of waxed paper for easy of filling with less spilling.

I started off planning to take pictures at each stage, but soon learned that handling "powdery" ingredients like flour and cocoa, and taking pictures don't really mix, so this is the only "during" picture that I ended up with.

The main thing to remember is that the ingredients need to be added with the finer textured ingredients at the bottom, the chunkier stuff at the top--if you start with chocolate chips and then pour flour over the top, for instance, the flour will sift down in between the chunks and mess your layers up.

Step number two is to try to smooth each layer and pack it as tightly as you can. I used a spice bottle for that--guess what, you can't tamp down flour or cocoa very well, the bottle sinks(!) Recipes with oatmeal pack well--add the flour, then the oatmeal, then tamp it down to your heart's content!

Next add the sugars, and last the chunky stuff.

Don't these look pretty? These are for Homemade Brownies, Cranberry Hootycreeks, and Cowboy Cookies.

I added circles of Christmas fabric cut with pinking shears, tied with ribbon and garnished with a berry spray. My last step will be printing out the recipe directions (add butter, eggs, bake at 350, etc ) on some card stock, cutting with the pinking shears, and tying to the jars with the ribbon.

Change the fabric, or leave it off and tie the recipe card on with some raffia or other decorative ribbon, pair a couple of them with a kitchen gadget or two and a pretty dishtowel, and you have a perfect gift for a kitchen shower or housewarming party.

Cranberry Hootycreeks

Ingredients:

1 c plus 2 T self-rising flour

1/2 c oatmeal

1/3 c packed brown sugar

1/3 c sugar

1/2 c dried cranberries

1/2 c white chocolate chips

1/2 c chopped pecans

Layer in the order listed.

Recipe instructions:

In a medium mixing bowl beat together 1/2 c softened butter, 1 egg and t teaspoon of vanilla. Add the entire contents of the jar, and mix together until well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto greased or parchment paper lined baking sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees or until the edges start to brown

Cool on baking sheet or wire rack

Makes 18 cookies

Easy Homemade Brownies

Ingredients:

1 c flour

1/2 c cocoa

2 c sugar

Layer ingredients in the order listed ( I messed this up by putting the sugar first--when I tried to tamp the cocoa, it started mixing with the sugar. Oops0

Recipe Instructions:

Pour entire contents of jar into a mixing bowl

Add 1 stick (1/2 c) of butter or margarine, melted; stir slightly; then add 4 eggs and 1 t vanilla

Pour into greased or cooking sprayed 9 x 13 pan.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes

Makes about 20 brownies

Cowboy Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/3 c self-rising flour

1 1/3 c oatmeal

1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c chopped nuts

1 c chocolate chips

Layer ingredients in order listed--tamp well after the oatmeal layer, and after the brown sugar layer. I made this one first, and did not "pack" everything tight enough, so the first one only held about 1/2 c of chocolate chips. I made another and figured out the best layers to tamp down and everything fit much better.

Recipe Instructions:

Empty entire contents of jar into a large mixing bowl, and thoroughly blend everything with your hands or a mixing spoon. Add 1 stick (1/2 c) of butter or margarine, melted; 1 slightly beaten egg, and 1 t vanilla. Mix until completely blended. This may require your hands! Shape into balls the size of walnuts, and place on greased or parchment lined cooking sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet, then remove cookies to racks to finish cooling.

Makes about 30 cookies

I had a lot of fun making these--now that I've gotten the hang of it, I may be doing more of these. Be sure to check out the jar mix "recipes" at Heart 4 Home, or do an internet search for "jar mixes", there are tons of different recipes and sites out there with lots of ideas, from sweet to savory.

What pre-made mixes or jar mixes have you made, or would you like to receive?

Until next time, good cooking, and good gifting!

Thanksgiving Day Recipe Round-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 02:50:00 +0000

If you are looking for some last minute additions to your Thanksgiving Day meal, be sure to check out this recipe round-up at the Family Balance Sheet. She has graciously included my pumpkin pie cake in her listing.

Head on over and check some of these links out! I can't wait to try some of them myself!

Meanwhile, here are a couple more of my own favorites:

Cranberry Relish--not your usual cranberry sauce

Sweet Potato Souffle--not your typical marshmallow topping, this casserole is covered with a yummy pecan praline topping

Pumpkin Pie--completely traditional, with a made-from-scratch crust

And for something totally out of left field--how about this Navy Bean Pie--not only will no one be able to guess what's in it, they'll rave for the recipe, too--it not only tastes good, it smells out-of-this-world.

Until next time--good cooking, and good eating!

Fall Favorites, 2011--Pumpkin Pie Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:20:00 +0000

I can't believe it's already November--the countdown to the holidays has begun, and I don't know where the year has gone. One of my favorite holidays is coming up on us quickly--I am keeping my fingers crossed that my son and I will be able to join my husband in Colorado for Thanksgiving. If we do, I probably won't be doing a lot of cooking, since it'll be just the three of us, but I want to share some of my tried-and-true recipes that are great for Thanksgiving or any long, dark, fall or winter evening. It's quick and easy to make, as always, and tastes (and smells!) like the perfect fall dessert.

Ingredients:

1 29oz can of pumpkin (or two 15 oz cans)

1 12oz can evaporated milk

3 large eggs

1 c sugar

4 t pumpkin pie spice

1/2 t salt

1 yellow cake mix

1 c chopped nuts (I used pecans, you could use walnuts, too)

2 sticks of butter, melted

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Pour into a greased or Pam-sprayed 9 x 13 pan.

Sprinkle the entire box of cake mix on top

Cover with chopped nuts

(I think I used more than 1 cup--I just eyeballed it until I thought it looked right--I like lots of nuts)

Drizzle with 1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter

Bake at 350 degrees for 60-75 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. I baked this for 60 minutes, then covered it with foil and baked for another 6 or 7 minutes, then turned off the oven and left it for another 5-7 minutes or so. I think I should have covered it with foil a little sooner, but that's due to a peculiarity of my oven.

If you serve this hot, it's a "scoop" dessert. Once cold, you can either scoop a portion or cut it into squares. This would be excellent with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or even a dollop of whipped cream, but it's delicious just by itself.

This post is linked to:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

What's Cooking Wednesday at the King's Court IV

Delicious Dishes at It's a Blog Party

Meatless Mondays at My Sweet and Savory

Bake with Bizzy at Bizzy Bakes

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Sugar Free Sunday--Butterscotch Yum-Yum

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 19:43:00 +0000

This has been one of the worst years for heat and drought across the Gulf Coast south that I can remember. (And trust me, my memory goes back a long time. Really long.) But the weather has finally moderated enough for me to do some cooking again. Not much, I admit, but a little. And at the same time, my son and I have decided to go back sugar-free, at least most of the time. We just feel better when we do. But because we just started, we're struggling to change our eating habits, and I'm struggling to remember to change my grocery-buying habits, as well.

I decided to go back through some to sugar-free (and otherwise) goodies that I've made in the past, and revisit them, seeing where I can make improvements to tastes and texture.

This recipe, while sugar-free (or can be made regular) is a purely convenience goodie--fairly quick to make, not homemade at all, except in the sense that it's "made at home"! But so, so, good when you're craving something sweet and creamy.

Layer 1: The original recipe calls for a basic "press in" crust:

1/4 c (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1/2 c flour

1/3 c chopped nuts

1 T sugar or Splenda (optional)

Toss together the flour and sugar or Splenda; cut in the butter, then add the chopped nuts. Press into the bottom of an 8 x 8 pan. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until set and just slightly brown around the edges. Set aside to cool. Quick and easy option: If you happen to have a roll-up, refrigerated pie crust floating around in the back of your fridge, you can use it instead. Unroll, fit to your pan, and cut off the excess. Sprinkle a few chopped nuts on the crust and press into the dough. Add a sprinkle of sugar or Splenda if you want. Then bake just like the homemade press in crust. Works for me.

Layer 2: While the crust is cooling, mix together in a medium bowl

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 c sugar or Splenda

1 t vanilla

1 c whipped topping (I used sugar free)

Mix everything together until well blended. Spread on cooled crust.

Layer 3: This is where you can get creative with the flavor

1 small pkg instant pudding (I used sugar free butterscotch)

1 1/2 c milk

Whisk together until blended and the mixture starts to thicken. Pour over the cream cheese layer and smooth the edges.

Layer 4: Add a layer of whipped topping (again, I used the sugar-free)

Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve. I usually cut this into squares, but sometimes I don't let it set up long enough, so I just sort of scoop it out onto the plate. (see the top picture) Then I have to eat along the edge to straighten it out. Funny how that happens, huh?

This gets two thumbs up from the sugar-free-ers in my household, including me! As a matter of fact, this flavor has become our favorite, so I make a special trip to a particular grocery store to find the butterscotch sugar-free pudding mix. One of the draw-backs of living in a small town with small grocery stores--not much variety at some of them sometimes.

If you're not a sugar-free-er, just use regular pudding and whipped topping, and sugar instead of Splenda. It's a good basic recipe that can be adapted with any flavor of pudding, or even fruit topping.

Until next time, good cooking and good eating!

This post linked to:

My Meatless Mondays at My Sweet and Savory
Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
Recipe Swap at the Grocery Cart Challenge
Friday Favorites at Simply Sweet Home

Giveaway Winner--Fiber One 80 Calories Cereal Fitness Pack

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:23:00 +0000

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

6

Timestamp: 2011-09-28 18:32:11 UTC

Number 6 on the spreadsheet is:

Lynne B

Congratulations, Lynne! I'll be sending you and email to get your mailing information.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Until next time...

Review and Giveaway--Fiber One 80 Calories Cereal

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:42:00 +0000

This giveaway is now closed. The winner will be announced on the next post, and will be notified via email.

As a member of MyBlogSpark, I recently had an opportunity to review a General Mills cereal, Fiber One 80 Calories. The flavor that I received was Honey Squares. Now, I have to admit, that although I do a lot of sugar free recipes from time to time, I'm not usually a big fan of most foods that advertise themselves as being low in calories. Too often that seem to equate with low in taste, as well. This cereal, though, was a welcome surprise. It was really and truly delicious. So much so that I would honestly buy this myself and eat it. As a matter of fact, we finished this box off so fast that I didn't have a chance to take pictures of the cereal itself, it was gone in two days. And for a food blogger, even one as infrequent as I've been lately, not to take pictures of their food--well, you know it went fast.

According to the information I received, this cereal is not only delicious, but healthy as well. With 40 percent of the Daily Value of fiber in one 80 calorie serving, Fiber One 80 Calories cereal can help curb your hunger, which can help you stick to a weight loss or healthy eating plan. It always helps to have a breakfast option that can help you feel satisfied without giving up taste!

As part of this review opportunity, General Mills and MyBlogSpark are offering a prize package to one lucky reader just like the one pictured above, comprised of a box of Fiber One 80 Calorie cereal, a sensor pedometer with USB connector to chart walking progress, and a neoprene iPod/smartphone holder with armstrap to help you stay in touch or walk to a beat when you're getting your walk on!

To enter, all you need to do is fill out the form with your name and email address. Just for fun, tell me on the next line if you're a walker already, or if you hope that this prize will inspire you to become a walker.

~~This is a quickie giveaway, it will only run from now until Tuesday, September 27th at noon, Central time. Winner will be chosen at random.~~ Giveaway is now closed.

(This prize, as well as a duplicate review package, was provided to me free of charge by General Mills and MyBlogSpark, however, the opinion stated is that of my own.)

Until next time, good (un)cooking, and good eating!

Summertime, and the Living's Not Easy

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:54:00 +0000

Its been such a long, hot summer for us here in SW Louisiana, I confess that my kitchen has been mostly closed. My husband has been working out of state, my son & I are the only two around the house, so most days it's been easier to scrounge something than make a real meal. We've eaten out more than we should have; eaten a lot of cold cereal and made a lot of sandwiches--followed by Popsicles that melt if you take too long to eat them.

I have done a few things, though, from my it's-too-hot-to-cook-but-we-gotta-EAT repertoire.

Stove-top Barbecue Chicken is always a favorite-I usually serve it over rice--I love the BBQ 'gravy' that it makes.

And believe it or not, I make a lot a soup, even during the summer--anything that I can do in one pot on one burner on top of the stove suits me just fine...

from Taco Soup...

to Chicken Corn Chowder

Occasionally, I even brave turning on the oven, as long as it's something that doesn't take long to bake, like this White Chicken Pizza, made with jarred Alfredo Sauce and ready-made pizza dough,

or Stuffed Bread, made with pizza dough and meat-and-cheese (and even veggie) filling of your choice.

My hubby is home this week, which always means more cooking on my part, so I'm hoping to have a couple of new recipe posts up later this week.

Meanwhile, how was your summertime cooking this year?

Until next time, good cooking and good eating!

Giveaway Winner---Cascade Complete

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:26:00 +0000

There were a total of 93 entries in this giveaway, and thanks to Proctor & Gamble and MyBlogSpot, 5 winners!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

53 20 59 14 15
Timestamp: 2011-07-27 21:23:22 UTC

And these correspond to:

Terri L.
Michelle H.
Sandy M.
Kendra G.
Breanne

Each of these winners will be notified by email, and your prize will be mailed to as soon as I receive your mailing information. Each winner who emails me back a quick review after they try the product will be eligble to win an additional $15 Walmart gift card.

Thanks to everyone who entered, I will have another giveaway within a couple of weeks, please be sure to come back!

Until next time, good cooking, good eating, and good cleaning up afterwards!

Penne Rigota with Sausage and Marinara Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 21:40:00 +0000

Just in case you haven't noticed, I've been AWOL around here lately. I've been really busy with a new ministry position, I've had computer and internet issues, it;'s hard to cook for just one or two people, and besides, it's just been too hot to cook lately, anyway. They are, alas, just excuses. I sure manage to wrangle up something to eat, I just haven't done anything inspired lately.

So, I thought I'd share one of those quick, I'm the only one home for dinner, it's too hot to turn on the oven, I don't have much in the house anyway, but I gotta have something to eat, semi-homemade kind of meals.

Step one, put some pasta on to cook. Any kind will do. I used penne rigata.

Step two, find some meat of some kind, hopefully one that won't take that long to cook. I chose sausage, because it was what I had on hand and thawed. Slice it up and sort of fry it out or (my first choice) cover it with a little water and par-boil for a couple of minutes. It heats everything up and cooks out the excess grease. Drain the excess water and/or grease.

Step three. Pour on a jar of sauce. In this case, spaghetti sauce, and bring to a simmer. Cover and let cook for a few minutes. Add additional seasoning to taste.

Drain the pasta, pour on the sauce, add some cheese, and voila! Pasta supper for one, with enough leftovers to eat tomorrow.

Variations:

I love to use frozen chicken fajita strips with Alfredo sauce to make a quick chicken Alfredo.

This works with pretty much any kind of pasta, including leftover!

Do you have a basic semi-homemade go-to meal for those "I don't wanta cook but I'm hungry" times?

Until next time, good (semi-) cooking, and good eating!

Giveaway-Cascade Complete All in 1 ActionPacks

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 19:43:00 +0000

Giveaway is now closed!

One of my favorite kitchen tools of the "not absolutely necessary but it sure is nice to have one" sort is a dishwasher. Over the course of my adult life I've lived in a number of different places with a wide variety of kitchens--sometimes with a dishwasher, sometimes without--and while a dishwasher is not an absolute necessity for a kitchen, I definitely prefer a kitchen with rather without one.

But because I have a small family, I have to admit that there times, when I had a kitchen with a dishwasher, that I didn't always take advantage of the luxury. Sometimes it seemed like too much trouble when we didn't have that many dishes--since I was rinsing them anyway, it seemed to be just as quick to go ahead and wash them by hand. And the absolute worst is pulling out a dish that the dishwasher didn't get quite clean, only to find the residue practically baked on by the heat-dry cycle.

Enter in a new product in the Cascade line of dishwasher products--the new Cascade Complete All-in-1 packs. I love the convenience of using the packs--no pouring (or spilling) messy powders or gels, just pop one in the soap dispenser and run the cycle as usual--but get this--no pre-rinsing is necessary, these packs have the correct amount of Cascade dishwashing detergent, along with a grease cutter and a rinse agent so that every particle is broken down and powered away, and best of all--no spots or residue left behind!

These packs work even on dried on food, so if you have a small family, as I do, you can safely load your dishwasher and wait until the next day, if need be, to run a full load!

As a member of MyBlogSpark, Proctor and Gamble has provided me with 5 trial sized packs of their new Cascade Complete All-in-1 ActionPacks to give away. Then for those five who win the giveaway, each one who emails me a review of the product, will be eligible to win an additional prize of a $15 Wal-Mart Gift Card!

To enter, all you have to do is leave your name and email contact in the form provided, along with a comment telling me which meal you think leaves you with the most dishwashing challenges. This giveaway will run from today, July 17, through July 27 at 3:00 p.m. CST. Winners will be drawn at random.

Giveway is now closed! Thanks to all who entered, winners will be announced shortly!

(The prizes for this giveaway were furnished to me by Proctor and Gamble through MyBlogSpark; however, the opinion stated is that of my own.)

Italian Cream Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Wed, 18 May 2011 14:59:00 +0000

There's a thrift store in our little town that holds a bake sale on the first full weekend of the month, run by the ladies from the local Mennonite church. They always have such good things--pies, cakes, and cookies, along with breads and even homemade freezer meals. One of our favorites was always an Italian Cream cake, but as with lots of other things in this economy, the bake sale items have just about priced themselves out of my comfort zone. So I decided to try my hand at baking one of these luscious goodies myself.

The recipes I found all called for egg yolks in the main batter, then beating the whites separately and folding in. Since "quick and easy" is my middle name in the kitchen, I am not much of a multi-step, multi-bowl baker. Recipes that call for beating the egg whites and folding them in seem scary and overly complicated, so I just kept on looking until I found that called for whole eggs just plopped in the batter like the regular cake recipes I am used to making.

Italian Cream Cake

Ingredients:

1 c buttermilk

1 t baking soda

1/2 c (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 c shortening

2 c sugar

5 eggs

1 t vanilla

1 t baking powder

2 c all purpose flour

1 c coconut

1/2 c chopped nuts

Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk and set aside

Cream together butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy

Add vanilla and eggs--1 or 2 at a time, mixing well in between.

Add buttermilk, flour, baking powder, and coconut, until combined

Stir in nuts

Pour into greased cake pan(s). I used two 8 or 9 inch rounds.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven, 30-35 minutes (if you use a tube pan, it will take longer) or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean

Allow to cool completely before frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 c butter, softened

1 t vanilla

4 c powdered sugar

2-4 T cream or milk

1/2 to 1 c coconut

1/4 to 1/2 c chopped nuts

Cream together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla

Add powdered sugar and mix well, adding cream or milk as needed for desired consistency.

You can add coconut and nuts into the frosting if like, or sprinkle on top like I did

I almost messed up by thinning my frosting just a bit too much--I usually make sheet cakes, that don't even come out of the pan, or tube cakes, where a softer frosting is better, to drip over the sides. This time, though, I wanted a nicer presentation in the form of a layer cake, and when I made a soft frosting, as usual, I had a little trouble trying to keep it from sliding off the sides. Next time I do a layer cake, I'll remember to make the frosting a little stiffer.

Since I was trying to make a pretty cake, as well as a delicious one, I wanted to use my pedestal cake platter. To keep the plate or platter clean while you're frosting the cake, put down a layer of strips or parchment or wax paper.

Then put the first layer on top of the paper strips. Make sure you have enough sticking out from under so that you can pull them out afterwards.

Frost the cake as usual, then sl-o-o-o-o-w-ly pull the paper strips out from under the edges.

I was so impressed with myself for making this cake--completely from scratch, and a layer cake, at that! Maybe I'll change my middle name from "quick and easy" to "made from scratch"!

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

This post is linked to:

What's on the Menu Wednesday at Dinning with Debbie
What's Cooking Wednesday at the King's Court IV
Delicious Dishes at It's a Blog Party
Recipe Swap Thursday at Prairie Story
Tasty Traditions at Coupon Cookin'
Try New Adventures Thursday at Alicia's Homemaking
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli N Son
Friday Potluck at EKat's Kitchen
Sweet Indulgences Sunday at a Well Seasoned Life

Hamburger Steak and Semi-Homemade Comfort Food

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Fri, 06 May 2011 14:21:00 +0000

In case you haven't noticed, I've been in a food rut for weeks now. Not only have I not blogged about food, I've barely cooked. I find myself home alone several nights a week, and I end up doing what I call "scrounging"--eating anything I can "scrounge" up without doing any major cooking--sandwiches, cheese and crackers, soup, even (yes!) milk and cookies. But I'm running out of "scrounging" ideas, and I know I need to eat better. So one night this week when my son came home early and unexpectedly, I decided to make us a simple, semi-homemade dinner of pure comfort food. Hamburger steak is one of his favorites, and I'm a rice-and-gravy gal from way back (waaaaay back--even as a kid I loved rice and gravy, any time, any place.)

First up was the hamburger steak. I'm blessed to have home-grown, farm raised beef in my freezer from my mom and dad's cows, so I started with a pound of extremely lean beef. This stuff is so lean that when you cook it "loose", you usually don't even have to drain the grease off of it. That's lean.

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef

dried onion flakes (about a tablespoon)

2 or 3 splashes of Worchestershire sauce

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, or your all-purpose seasoning blend of choice

Sorry I don't have exact proportions, it all depends on your family's taste. I want mine to be pretty well seasoned. Mix everything in well, so that the seasoning is blended throughout the meat. The best way to do this is with your hands! Divide the meat up into however many portions you want to make. At this point, I always form the meat into a ball and pat it back and forth in my hands and kind of pack it so that it will hold together well. I do this when I'm making hamburgers, hamburger steaks, meatballs, or whatever. Then I squish it start forming it into the shape I want. For some reason, when I do hamburger steak, I make the patties big and sort of oval. I smooth the edges and re-pat so that little pieces of meat won't break off while it's cooking. Once you're done and have your hands clean, put a straight sided frying pan on the burner to heat, starting off on medium-to-medium-high heat. Since I was cooking with such lean meat, I added a little bit of cooking oil to my frying pan to keep it from sticking--if I was using bought ground meat, it usually has enough fat in it to skip the oil. Once the pan is hot, I add the meat. After a few minutes, check to see if the bottom is lightly browned, and turn so that the other side can brown.

While I was waiting for the meat to brown, I got the rice started, 1 cup of rice, 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, then cover and turn to simmer. It takes about 15-20 minutes for the water to absorb. You can salt the water if you want, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

Check the meat, and once both sides are browned a little, cover and turn the heat down to low-medium.

Meanwhile, I measured water and started it boiling to make my gravy. Yes, I used a brown gravy packet--that's what makes this semi-homemade! Not just any brown gravy, but Southeastern Mills. They make the best gravy mix--I like their brown gravy and their beef gravy, which is harder to find.

Once I got the gravy made, I poured it over the meat in the frying pan, covered it, and turned the heat to about 3 (out of 10) on my knob--low medium, I'd say. I wanted the gravy to simmer, the meat to continue to cook, but nothing to scortch.

And then on the the next semi-homemade part of my meal--frozen steam-in-the-bag-in-the-microwave veggies. My son and I both love this particular one--Bird's Eye Steamfresh Vegtables--the one with aspargus, white and yellow corn, and baby carrots. Love, love, love this one. All I did was cook according to package directions, pour into a serving dish, add a sprinkle of salt and couple of dabs of butter, then stir.

And there we had it--a plate of comfort food, semi-homemade, done in about about 30-40 minutes, start to finish.

I felt like I'd made a gourmet meal!

My hubby will be home next week, so I'm gearing up to get back into my cooking mode.

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

This post is linked to:

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Recipe Swap at the Grocery Cart Challenge

Recipe Linky at MomTrends

(Disclosure--I haven't been paid or compensated in any way by Bird's Eye or Southeastern Mills. These are just two products that I've tried on my own and like.)

Green Fluff for St Patrick's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:39:00 +0000

In honor of St Patrick's Day, I'm repeating this recipe for my favorite GREEN food,

Pistachio Salad, aka Green Fluff and/or Watergate Salad

Did you know that are just about as many different ways to make Pistachio fluff as there are folks who make it? I've had Pistachio Fluff on the brain ever since I had so many comments about it on my Pretty in Pink fruit salad post, so I decided to make that delectable dish known variably as "Pistachio Fluff", "Watergate Salad" and simply "that green stuff".

Back in the "olden days" of the 70's, different versions of this were all the rage. Some made it with cottage cheese, similar to the Pretty in Pink salad, some made it with miniature marshmallows, some topped theirs with chopped nuts; I've even seen it put in a pie crust. In my family, we made a very simple version, and that's the one I decided to re-create this week.

Ingredients:

1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1 pkg Pistachio pudding mix
1 container Cool Whip or other whipped topping

Pour the drained pineapple into a medium sized mixing bowl, top with dry Pistachio pudding mix

Mix the pineapple and pudding mix together until it turns this lovely(!) shade of green

Add cool whip and stir until well blended

When you finish, it should look something like this.

At this point, it will taste like a mouth full of SWEET and not much else. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours. The mixture will "set" slightly and the flavors will develop until it tastes like a mouth full of sweet, refreshing goodness.

It doesn't make all that much compared to the pink one, that may be one reason why many add the cottage cheese and mini-marshmallows. I like the cottage cheese in the pink one, and may try it in this one, too, but it's good just the way it is, and would be super simple to double or even triple to take to a church dinner or family gathering.

I guarantee anyone old enough to remember the 70's will remember it, and anyone not old enough to remember it will like it anyway.

This post is linked to:

Luck of the Irish Party at It's a Blog Party

Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life As Mom

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Until next time, good (un-)cooking, and good eating!

Quick and Easy Hamantaschen for Purim

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:01:00 +0000

Purim is coming up this Sunday, March 20th, so I am re-purposing this post for the occasion.

Sunday is Purim, the celebration of the deliverance of Israel from annihilation at the hand of the enemy as told in the book of Esther. As part of the celebration of God's deliverance, it's customary to give gifts of food, which often include hamentaschen, or Haman's hats, named after the villain of the piece. (hiss, hiss, stomp, clap) (In order to obliviate the very name of Haman, who schemed to destroy God's people, when the story of Esther is read or told, the audience must hiss or stomp or use noisemakers anytime his name is mentioned.)

Hamentaschen are little three cornered cookies or pastries, usually with fruit or poppy seed filling. I came up with a quick and easy version a few years ago that are actually more like a fruit tart, but made in the traditional three-cornered shape, I think they fit the bill quite nicely.

Ingredients:

pie crust--for this I want a smooth, even crust, so I use my old faithful ready-made crusts
pie filling of your choice--I like cinnamon spice apple, or blueberry
powdered sugar to sift over the finished product

You need a pie filling with small "bits", so when I do this with apple filling, I use my pastry cutter or a knife to cut the larger slices so that I have smaller pieces of fruit.

Use a biscuit cutter or the top of a glass to cut as many circles as you can get from your pie crust. You can take the bits that are left and re-roll and cut again, if you like.

Place a small amount of the filling on each circle--I used a heaping tablespoon, and almost overfilled some of mine.

Fold the sides up into the traditional three-cornered hat shape.

It's been a couple of years since I made these, and the first batch I did started coming apart at the corners when they started baking, so I really pinched the corners together on the next batch.

Bake at 400-450 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet to a cooling tray. (This was the first batch--see how they started coming apart? Still tasted good, though!)

Dust with powdered sugar right before serving.

These are so good--just the right proportion of crust to filling. You can offer these alone as a finger food, or serve on a plate with little dollop of whipped cream on top, or even in a bowl with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Just be sure to give thanks everytime you eat one that God's ear is still open and His handis working behind the scenes to bring deliverance and salvation to those that call on His name!

This post is linked to:

What's Cooking Wednesday at the King's Court IV

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Until next time--good cooking, and good eating!

Easy Cheesy Potato Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 00:39:00 +0000

After all of the rich food and extra cooking around during the holidays, I like to start off the year with super simple, but warm and hearty meals--and for me, that spells S-O-U-P! Last week I made Taco Soup; today I made another of my favorite quick and easy soup recipes, Easy Cheesy Potato Soup. I first posted this back in August, but I know most of ya'll are not as soup-crazy as I am to eat it even during the warm months, so I thought I'd share it again.

Originally posted August 20, 2010:

I love soup, any kind, any time, any where. When I'm in a restaurant, I always get the soup instead of salad--and I know which places have good soup. One of my favorites, always, is potato soup of any kind--creamy potato, cheesy potato, baked potato--doesn't matter, as long as it's potato.

But although I often order it out, it's not something I make at home. Until now. My mother cut this recipe out of the newspaper and gave it to me months ago, but I just got around to trying it out this week. Believe it nor not, it's made from frozen (uncooked) hash browns! It's quick and easy, which are my middle names in the kitchen; tastes delicious, and it has no exotic ingredients that can't be found in even a small town grocery store--something that's especially important to me since I moved home to small-town rural Louisiana.

Ingredients:

medium onion, diced
4 T butter
5 cups of water
4-5 bouillon cubes
1 28-oz package of frozen hash browns (the uncooked kind)
1 pound Velveeta
milk (if needed--I didn't need any)

Melt the butter in the pan, then add onion and cook until translucent and tender. You know me, I used dried onion flakes, but I did use the butter, it does add an element of flavor to the overall dish. So I melted the butter, then threw in 2 or 3 tablespoons of dried onion. Add the water and bouillon cubes--I used chicken stock powder, but you could use vegetable stock just as well. Add the hash browns--I added them frozen straight from the bag--and bring the whole mixture to a boil. Cover and turn down to simmer, stirring occasionally.

After about 20 minutes, check to see if the potatoes are tender.

Turn the burner up just a little, (still on low to medium) and add 1 pound of Velveeta--that's the small box or half of the larger box--I used a store brand knock-off.

Cook on low to medium, stirring frequently, until the cheese is melted.

Since bouillon and cheese can be salty, the only additional seasoning I added was some cracked black pepper. Once the cheese is added, you can add milk if needed--I didn't. I did let mine continue to simmer for about 10 minutes more, because we weren't quite ready to eat yet. Just be sure the burner is turned down very low so it won't scorch after the cheese is added. It does thicken a bit upon standing, you might need a little milk to thin it later or to reheat.

Variations:

I tasted it before I added the cheese, it was pretty good even then, although a little thin. If I wanted cream of potato soup with no cheese, I'd use less broth or stock, and add some milk or even half-and-half right at the end.

For baked potato soup, add some crumbled back and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and some chopped chives. I had none of the above on hand, so I didn't, but I think it would be a tasty addition!

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

This post is linked to:

Recipe Swap Sunday at Remodelaholic

Meatless Monday at My Sweet and Savory

Mouthwatering Monday at A Southern Fairytale

Tuesday Night Supper Club at Fudge Ripple

Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Delicious Dishes at It's a Blog Party

Beat the Winter Blues Comfort Foods at Goodbye City, Hello Suburbs

Back to the Basics--Taco Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 06:32:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but I'm getting just a tiny bit tired of holiday food! I love it all, don't get me wrong, but I wanted something hot and delicious and best of all, my famous words--"quick" and "easy" all rolled into one, so I made a little pot of taco soup for lunch today.

Today's version had:

Just over a pound of ground meat, cooked and drained
1 can corn
1 can pinto beans
3 small cans of tomato sauce
1 1/2 pkt taco seasoning

Cook the ground meat loose until browned, and drain. Mix all the other ingredients in the pot, then add the meat back. Bring to a bubble, then simmer for about 20 minutes. Top each bowl with a couple of tablespoons of grated cheese--today I used a combination of mozzarella and cheddar. Serve with cracker or corn chips, or both!

We really enjoyed having something warm and satisfying, and "real" on a cold, wet day!

This recipe is easily doubled, and can be made with almost any kind of beans--I've used everything from red beans to pintos to plain old pork and beans. You can also substitute any kind of tomato product--paste, crushed--I even used tomato soup once in a pinch, then added a can of cheddar cheese soup while I was at it. In other words--this is a recipe that's so basic, but is flexible to accommodate both your family's tastes and what you have on hand.

This post is linked to:

Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom

Let's Do Lunch, Breakfast, and Brunch at My Sweet and Savory

Recipe Swap at Prairie Story

Tasty Traditions at Coupon Cookin'

Frugal Food Thursday at Frugal Follies

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Beat the Winter Blues Comfort Food at Goodby City, Hello Suburbs

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Gifts From the Kitchen--Microwave Fudge, Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Charlene) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 05:28:00 +0000

Earlier today I shared a recipe for easy microwave fudge; dark and rich, it's made from easily available items that most of us stock in our holiday pantry. This recipe is just as quick and easy, made from even more readily available ingredients, but it's a whole different taste and texture--more like the old fashioned cooked sugar fudge of my childhood--and has to be my absolute favorite holiday indulgence.

Ingredients:

1 box confectioners sugar (approximately 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa
1/4 t salt
1/4 c milk
1/2 c (1 stick) butter

Put everything in a microwave safe bowl. Don't stir or mix or do anything to it.

This is the best fudge I've made I've ever made. It's not smooth and creamy, it's firmer, sort of dry-ish and crumbly, just like the old fashioned sugar fudge of my cravings.

This post is linked to:

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Food Friday at MomTrends

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!