Category: Family Favorites

Candy · Family Favorites · Holidays

Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods

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There is something decadent about chocolate with something salty. Chocolate dipped pretzels are a favorite of mine and last Christmas I made Chocolate Dipped Pretzels Rods in white chocolate and with dark chocolate to give as gifts. Ahem…except for those that didn’t make it past my mouth!

CHOCOLATE DIPPED PRETZEL RODS

White Chocolate Chips
Dark Chocolate Chips
Pretzel Rods
Sugars and Sprinkles

  • Spread waxed paper on cookie sheets.
  • Melt chocolate  per instructions in microwave and pour melted chocolate into cup for dipping (makes about the right depth on the pretzel rods).
  • Over a separate plate or bowl, sprinkle the pretzel rods with sugar or sprinkles and place on waxed paper to harden.
  • Place pretzel rods in pretty tin or cello bag to give as gifts.

 

Thanksgiving Favorites
Family · Family Favorites · Holidays · Home

Thanksgiving Favorites

cathysmahaLeave a comment

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of year with friends and family gathering together, sharing a meal, counting our blessings, and probably take in some football games.

This year I am sharing some of my Fork-Lore.com favorite Thanksgiving recipes that our family has enjoyed for many, many years.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving memories!

ROAST TURKEY AND DRESSINGroasting turkey

CRANBERRY RELISH

cranberry relish 026

PUMPKIN (OR APPLESAUCE) BARS

Pumpkin Bars iced and cut
Pumpkin Bars iced and cut

GRANDMA SUSIE’S PUMPKIN PIE

The Best Ever Pumpkin Pie
The Best Ever Pumpkin Pie

PUMPKIN BREAD

Pumpkin Bread Loaf
Pumpkin Bread Loaf

SILKY SQUASH SOUP

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

TURKEY VEGETABLE SOUP

Turkey Vegetable Soup
Turkey Vegetable Soup
Family · Family Favorites

This ‘n That

cathysmaha2 Comments

Sometimes you just need a time-out for a little R&R.  I needed a time-out this year based on my last post.  On one hand, it made me sad to take a break because summer and fall are my favorite seasons to cook with fresh vegetables and fruit. On the other hand, if you’re not in the zone, it’s a worthless venture.

August and September are big birthday months in our family (yours too?).  In total, we have 13 birthdays.  ABC News reported in 2005 that more babies are born in July, August and September with no real reasoning.  Really? It seems so simple to me. Colder weather, holiday celebrations… Maybe I should have been a rocket scientist.

September, October and early November in Colorado were unseasonably warm and utterly beautiful. We all knew it wouldn’t last but we felt blessed for the beautiful fall colors accompanied by the warm sun and cool breezes.

IMG_5376

Our family traveled to Columbia, Missouri for Homecoming weekend and the dedication of Traditions Plaza and Legacy Circle, where Karl’s memorial was placed. We enjoyed family time and the festivities of the weekend.  Little did we know the NCAA recognizes the University of Missouri as the birthplace of homecoming.

MIZZOU

The Chihuly Exhibit was showcased at the Denver Botanic Gardens this Summer and Fall.  I saw the exhibit in Phoenix earlier this year and enjoyed two additional visits to the Denver exhibit.

IMG_4634 IMG_4674 IMG_4746

Temperatures in Colorado are now below freezing and time to make my favorite soups and comfort foods:

Chicken and Noodles
Beef Stew
Portuguese Kale Soup
Green Chile
Red Chili

I’m looking forward to being back, sharing recipes, stories and life.

Breakfast · Family Favorites · New Favorite · New Traditions

Egg and Bacon Cups

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Let me send a huge compliment to one of my favorite blogs, Iowa Girls Eats. Not only is she from Iowa but she eats gluten-free and has many great ideas.  While browsing for egg recipes I saw that she had tried bacon egg cups and I decided to give my own version a whirl. Most of the recipes on the web show that you use a whole egg in each cup but I decided to scramble the eggs and add ingredients.

Next time, I would either cook the bacon even longer or I would precook the bacon and crumble it in the bottom of each cup.  I like my bacon crispy so I’d prefer my bacon slices to be the same.  You’ll also see that the bacon was not on the outside of the eggs cups since the bacon shrinks while precooking but they come out beautifully as cups just the same!

BACON EGG CUPS

6 slices of bacon
6 eggs
1/4 cup cheese (I used cheddar)
pinch of Herbs de Provence
salt & pepper

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Wrap a slice of bacon around each of six muffin tins.  Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes or until almost done to your liking.
  • While the baking is cooking, beat eggs and add cheese, herbs and salt and pepper.  Set aside.
  • Remove muffin tins from oven and carefully pour or remove the bacon fat.
  • Carefully pour egg mixture into each of the six muffin tins.
  • Bake another 15+ minutes or until eggs are completely cooked through.

 

 

Family · New Favorite · New Traditions · Skinny · Vegan · Vegetables · Vegetarian

Roasted Fennel…another new love!

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Fennel was a target buy at Trader Joe’s for daughter Megan and I this week. My husband, Karl, used to love to cook Fennel as was prepared for him on business trips to Italy.  It’s been years since I’ve prepared it. Megan suggested we roast it and it was fantastic. I have to say that eating it raw was delicious, too.

The fennel was prepared the same evening as the Zuppa Tuscana (recipe to post next week).  We decided to put some of the fennel in our soup and loved the addition.  I even added cold roasted fennel to a roast pork and goat cheese sandwich…love it!

Next time I’ll try roasting the fennel with other vegetable, perhaps white and sweet potatoes and a bit of rosemary?

 ROASTED FENNEL

2 heads fresh fennel
olive oil
salt & pepper

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Rinse fennel.  Slightly trim bottom and top of fennel bulb.
  • Cut each bulb in half lengthwise.  Cut out core and set aside.
  • Slice fennel thinly and place on baking sheet.  Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
  • Roast for 15-20 or until brown on edges and tender.
Family · New Traditions

Celebrating Moms!

cathysmaha2 Comments

Each year, for the past four years, a group of gal pals have gathered to celebrate ourselves. This wonderful group of women saw our kids grow from adolescents to adults and we have a lot to celebrate! While we don’t see each other as often, we do gather together for a Mother’s Coffee/Tea as well as in smaller groups for Book Club, Card Making, and Christmas.  These women are such a blessing for me as well as for their children.

That being said, we all LOVE to come together over food. Each year our friend, Barb, captured pics of our delicious array of food as well as pics of our group.

2013MDfood

Last year was the first time our daughter, Sarah, joined us as a Mom celebrating the birth of Evan. It’s such a wonderful gift to now have our daughters (and in the future daughter-in-laws) join us in the celebration.

P1120107We will be celebrating a week before Mother’s Day this year so let the party begin.

Family Favorites · Salads · Vegan · Vegetarian

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette for Quinoa Salad, Green Salad or Marinade

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Cilantro is an herb that people either LOVE or HATE.  I’m on the love side of Cilantro. It brings such a fresh, aromatic addition to select dishes, including this Vinaigrette and Salad. This Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette was a discovery a few years ago and I love it, especially on a summer Quinoa Salad, enjoying the salad throughout the week.

CILANTRO LIME VINAIGRETTE

3 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T red wine vinegar
2 T freshly squeezed lime juice
1 small jalapeno pepper (or less) chopped
1 clove garlic, halved
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1.5-2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

  • Put all ingredients in food processor or blender. Pulse until ingredients are blended. Shake before serving.

QUINOA SALAD

  • To prepare the quinoa, cook 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups liquid (water or chicken broth) for 15-20 minutes. Drain. Cool.
  • Then I throw in whatever I have on hand: onion, peppers, beans (garbanzo or black beans), carrots, celery, tomatoes, etc.  I’ve never had a combination I didn’t like.  You can use it as a side dish or add a protein to make it an entrée.
Family Favorites · Home · Meats · My Roots

Meat Loaf…a slice of home

cathysmaha2 Comments

Meat Loaf is a favorite of mine and feel badly that it’s gotten a bad name.  Perhaps people have even too many ‘bad’ meatloaf to appreciate the good.  Meat Loaf is not a pretty dish but it is excellent paired with a good baked potato, salad and green vegetable. And, who doesn’t like a good meatloaf sandwich from the leftovers?  My Mother always had a slice of raw potato on her meat loaf sandwich and it’s good.  Who knew!

Meat Loaf is not easy to photograph…my apologies but I won’t apologize for the wonderful results!

MEAT LOAF

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I prefer ground chuck or sirloin)
3/4 cup quick oatmeal (uncooked)
1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup milk

TOPPING:
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/3 to 1/2 cup catsup
2 tablespoons brown sugar

  • Mix all but topping together. Pack firmly into a loaf pan. Spread the topping over.

  • Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 60-90 minutes or until done. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

 

Appetizers · Family · Family Favorites · Holidays

Deviled Eggs

cathysmaha1 Comment

Deviled Eggs are an Easter ‘must have’, and this year will be no different. Everyone in the family loves them so as they say in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’…TRADITION! Back in the day, my Mother would make them from the eggs laid by our own hens. The yolks were deep yellow and it was a lucky treat when we would have an egg with a double yolk.

That was the good part.  I can’t say that gathering the eggs was a treat since the hens were often pretty fussy about having anyone poking around their nests for their eggs. Then there was the washing of the eggs for our use and sale to others.  All in a days work down on the farm.

Today, I usually buy my eggs at the grocery store but found that Chicken Track brown eggs closely resembled the eggs from the farm. This recipe does not include the direct measurements but was taught to me based on feel/texture. The filling should be moist but not runny.

DEVILED EGGS

Boiled eggs
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Dill pickle juice
Salt to taste
Paprika

  • Peel boiled eggs and cut eggs in half, lengthwise.
  • Remove yolks to a separate mixing bowl.
  • Mash egg yolks and add mayonnaise, pickle juice and dash of prepared mustard to taste.
  • Fill egg whites with yolk mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Chill before serving.

Other Easter favorites:

Crock-Pot Ham

Crunch Potato Casserole

Mandarin Salad

Fancy Schmancy Asparagus

Strawberry Shortcake

Appetizers · Family · Family Favorites · Mexican Dishes · Skinny

Layered Mexican Dip…Low Cal Style

cathysmahaLeave a comment

Our family was gathering for a late Sunday afternoon dinner and Mexican food was planned.  I needed a good starter but wanted something that wasn’t high fat/high calorie.  I have had 7 layer dip many times and this is a low cal twist to that recipe.  I used 2 cups of refried beans and 1 cup salsa for the bottom layer and otherwise, used the recipe as below.

It was a great little dip and I like it served with vegetables (especially Jicama) along with the chips.

MEXICAN LAYERED DIP

1 cup refried beans, vegetarian/low-fat
1/2 cup salsa
1-1/2 cups low-fat Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 avocados, pitted, peeled & mashed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
juice from 1/2 lime

TOPPINGS:

1/2 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup sliced black olives
cilantro sprigs

DIPPERS:

raw vegetables spears; red/yellow/orange bell peppers, jicama, daikon radish, carrots, celery, etc.
tortilla chips or strips

  • In small bowl, combine and stir beans and salsa. In separate bowl, combine and stir Greek yogurt and taco seasoning. In third bowl, combine and stir mashed avocado, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Use a 8×8″ pan or bowl or similar size.  Place bean mixture on the bottom, guacamole  in the middle, yogurt mixture on top; smoothing each into an even layer using the tip of a table knife.
  • Sprinkle on toppings: shredded cheese, tomatoes, onions, olives. Top with a sprig of cilantro.  May be assembled, covered, and refrigerated up to 6 hours in advance. Serve with veggie spears and/or tortilla chips.
Recipe slightly adapted from Yummy Life