My youngest daughter LOVES vinegar potato chips and I spotted this recipe some time ago on a blog that I follow, Lucy’s Friendly Foods. I am a popcorn hound and had to try it. If my daughter, Sarah, liked it, it was a winner.
I’m happy to report we both liked it! The reduction of the balsamic vinegar had a delightfully sweet, and salty, taste. A nice, lighter, change from the traditional (and always yummy) buttered popcorn.
Potato Bacon Chowder is officially a family favorite, shared with me by my sister Carolyn. It’s a quick fix for a weeknight meal and GREAT as leftovers. Need I say more?
POTATO BACON CHOWDER
8 slices bacon (cut in 1 inch pieces)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 cup water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
2 tablespoons parsley (chopped)
Fry bacon until crisp in a 3 quart saucepan; add onion and sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Pour off fat.
Add potatoes and water. Bring to boil; cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Chicken Divine is a recipe I discovered in the ’90s. I wish I could recall where the recipe originated but it had the elements that my young children liked: chicken, rice, broccoli and, of course, CHEESE! I made, they liked, repeat.
To this day, it is still a favorite and the aroma of the baking chicken with rosemary is wonderful. I sincerely hope your family enjoys as much as ours does!
CHICKEN DIVINE
3 whole chicken breasts
rosemary to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 sliced onion
1 pound fresh or frozen broccoli
3/4 cup raw rice, cooked
CHEESE SAUCE:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup grated, sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sprinkle chicken with rosemary, salt and pepper. Bake chicken at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool. Skin, bone and slice.
Prepare the rice.
Cook broccoli in water with salt and onion. Drain.
Layer chicken, then broccoli, then rice in buttered casserole.
Prepare the cheese sauce: Melt butter, add flour and stir until smooth. Cook 2 minutes. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Add cheeses and seasonings. (I have often made 1 1/2 recipes of the sauce to put on top to make it even more moist.)
Pour cheese sauce over entire dish. Add more grated Parmesan on top if desired.
Recently our book club read and reviewed ‘Tallgrass’ by Sandra Dallas, a historical novel that addresses the life and times of the small Colorado town and the controversial internment camp that divided the townspeople. It was an great book and spurred an excellent discussion. We all agreed that Sandra Dallas, who lives in Colorado and has family ties to Iowa, has an excellent voice for her characters.
Our book club always begins our gathering with a wonderful potluck typically with a theme associated with book. This evening we enjoyed sushi, edemame salad, fried rice, salads, fruit and much more. After brainstorming with my book club buddies, I decided to make an Old Fashioned Apple Pie in honor of Mary Stroud, a key character in the book.
My favorite Apple Pie is, again, from one my all-time favorite cookbooks. I must confess that I don’t make my own pie crust. I think the Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts are excellent and I’d rather spend time on the good part…the filling!
As I was making this pie and cutting the vents for the top crust, I couldn’t help but think of my Mother and the hundreds, if not thousands, of pies that she baked over the years. I carry on her vent design, simple but effective.
The pie is excellent on its own but always wonderful topped with vanilla bean ice cream, too!
OLD FASHIONED APPLE PIE
Pastry for 2 crust pie
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons flour
dash salt
6 cups thinly sliced, pared tart cooking apples
2 tablespoons butter
On lightly floured surface, roll out half of pastry into an 11 inch circle. Use to line 9 inch pie plate, trim. Refrigerate, with rest of pastry until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, flour and salt, mixing well. Add to apples in large bowl, tossing lightly to combine.
Turn into pastry-lined pie plate, mounding high in center; dot with butter.
Roll out remaining pastry into an 11 inch circle. Make several slits near center for steam vents; adjust over filling; trim.
Fold edge of top crust under bottom crust; press together with fingertips. Crimp edge decoratively.
Bake 45-50 minutes, or until apples are tender and crust is golden-brown.
One of the great cookbooks I received when I was newly married was Betty Crocker’s Dinner for Two Cookbook (love the $2.95 price tag).
A favorite recipe that I still refer to is the Oven-Fried Chicken. I love fried chicken but I don’t enjoy standing over the stove cooking it. This recipe has the flavor of a true fried chicken but with the simplicity of baking in the oven.
OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN
1/4 cup shortening or salad oil
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 tablespoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds chicken pieces
Heat oven to 425 degrees. In oven melt shortening in baking pan.
Mix flour, salt, paprika, pepper in plastic or paper bag; shake chicken, 2 or 3 pieces at a time in bag until coated.
Place chicken skin side down in pan.
Bake uncovered 30 minutes. Turn chicken, bake until tender, 15 to 30 minutes longer.
Banana Bread is an old time favorite that my Mother and the women before her made for their families. I like it plain, with a little butter, but always shared with family and friends.
This time I decided to try it with the Banana Jam we drooled over in Nicaragua and I wasn’t disappointed. This combination is great for breakfast, coffee, or dessert. Just say BANANA!
BANANA BREAD
2 cups sifted all purpose flour (or gluten-free flour)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 teaspoon flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together 2 cups flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.
Cream together shortening and sugar.
Blend in eggs and vanilla; mix well.
Add dry ingredients alternately with bananas, mixing just until blended.
Combine pecans and 1 tsp. flour; stir into batter. Pour into greased 9″ tube pan.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until bread tests done. Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool on rack.
Hot Chocolate and the holidays just go hand-in-hand. That warm cozy feeling in your tummy while gathered around the fire or Christmas tree with loved ones is what Christmas is all about.
Christmas Fireplace (Photo credit: rockinpaddy)
Daughter, Sarah, requested that we try this recipe for Christmas morning 2012 and it was delicious. It took a little longer to heat in the crock pot so allow plenty of time for it to warm to serving temperature.
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas!
CHRISTMAS CROCK POT HOT CHOCOLATE
1.5 cups heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)
2 cups milk chocolate chips
6 cups milk (I used 1%)
1 tsp. vanilla
mini marshmallows
Stir together the whipping cream, milk, vanilla, and chocolate chips in a crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot and chocolate chips are melted.
I love traditional cornbread but for those trying to avoid gluten, it isn’t a fit. Last night I made a big pot of beef stew with cornbread for the family but needed a gluten-free version. The Almond Flour Cornbread is delicious with the slight sweetness of honey. Yummy!
While I was writing this post today my good buddy, Jan, sent me a link to a ‘Today’s Dinner Party‘ that brought a smile to my face, given all of the dietary restrictions we all face.
Enjoy!
ALMOND FLOUR ‘CORNBREAD’
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup honey
4 eggs, beaten
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine.
Add the honey to the beaten eggs and add to flour mixture. Stir until fully combined and no lumps remain.
Pour into a well-greased 8×8″ baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
Aunts and Uncles are a bit like Grandparents. They get to spoil the nieces and nephews, shower them with affection and love, and leave when they are amped up on sugar and fun. It’s a good gig! I was an Aunt at age 7 and grew up with my niece and two nephews. It was wonderful having playmates and helping out my older sister and brother. A highlight of every year was when they came to stay with us and go to Bible School at the rural Carlton Brethren Church, a half mile from our house. There were sticker charts, ice cream, indoor picnics, dress-up (sorry Jeff and Duane), and so many stories!
Aunt Cathy and Sherri
After college I moved out-of-state and was always sad not to be closer to my family but treasured each of the visits back to see everyone. I was very fortunate to have wonderful Aunts and Uncles as well. Not all of them lived close but my siblings and I always knew we were loved with the hugs/kisses that went with their visits.
At this state of my life, I have 3 Aunts and 1 Uncle. Uncle Jack will be 90 this month and planning a big celebration. Aunt Joyce (Jack’s wife) turned 86 in February. Aunt Lora (also my Mother’s BFF in school) turned 94 this year. Aunt Wilma will turn 100 next June. From these wonderful people I learned the importance of family/loyalty, laughter, music, traditional dishes prepared for holidays and family gatherings.
Several years ago, when camcorders were new to the market, we traveled to Iowa with our newborn daughter to celebrate Christmas. Christmas Eve day several of my family members were visiting at my Mother’s House.
Cathy and Uncle Jack
We turned on the camcorder asked our family members ‘what is your favorite Christmas memory?’ I tear up just thinking about it. The heart-warming, loving, funny, and sarcastic stories were great at the time but are true treasures now.
Stories (Photo credit: Enokson)
This holiday season let’s spend our time BEING PRESENT and sharing stories for our children and grandchildren to treasure. Break out the smart phone and make a video, perhaps the best PRESENT of the season!
Fork Lore 