My Perfected Pulled Pork

 Some of you may remember that for Rachel and Miguel's wedding reception here in town, I made about 100 pounds of pulled pork.  I was doing it all myself, so I did some in a crock pot (cooked all day while I was at school) and some in my Power Pressure Cooker XL (different brand of Instant Pot and one I highly recommend!) It was some of the best I have ever made, although there was a learning curve, as this was the first REAL food I ever made in the pressure cooker, and I didn't know to let it naturally release.  I've learned. 

It was a fabulous reception, with really good food, if I do say so myself.  But...I don't have a picture of the food.  I only have a picture of...

 

the beer.  Go figure.

Over the course of the past four years, I have  perfected my hamburger bun recipe. (My friends Julie and Kelly ordered me NOT to make the buns for the wedding reception....)  Today, I think I can say, the pulled pork recipe is complete.  I don't need to tweak it any more.  Rachel is not a BBQ fan, so I had to make pulled pork with no BBQ, but served that on the side for those normal American's who like BBQ.  Here is the recipe that I have come up with.

Best EVER Pulled Pork 

• 1 Pork Roast (shoulder/butt) I go as big as possible.  Today's was 7 1/2 pounds
• Dry Rub
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 T. cumin
• 1 T. onion powder
• 1 T. garlic powder
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 T. cayenne pepper (really, this doesn't make it too spicy, but if you are worried, cut it down to  1/2 T. or less.)
• 1 T. paprika
• 1 T. coarse ground black pepper
• 1/4 -1/2 T/ Kosher salt (can go up to 1 T. but I find that to be a bit much)
• Brine
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. salt
• 3-4 Bay leaves
• 3 T Dry rub mix
• 2 quarts water (Depending on the size of the roast, and the size of your container, you might need to make the brine 1 1/2 or 2 times the recipe, to make sure the pork is covered.)
• 1 1/2 - 2 c. chicken broth (depends on the size of your Instant Pot)
• Liquid smoke 

Make the dry rub mix.  This is EXTREMELY customizable.  Add more or less of any of the spices that you like.  You can also add dried minced onion or dried minced garlic.  You can add or take out anything.  I don't like it super salty, so I go with a little less salt.  We like  heat, so I also sometimes add crushed pepper flakes or more cayenne pepper.   

Make the brine.  Find a container that will hold your pork roast (may I suggest doing this BEFORE you are ready to brine it?  I dirtied 3 containers today, before finding one that would hold the roast and have the liquid completely cover the roast!)  Put the roast in a container  (I ended up using my biggest stock pot, and making 1 1/2 x the brine to get it to cover). Pour the brine over the top.  I usually put a dinner plate on top of the roast, to make sure it is completely submerged in the brine.  Cover it and put in the fridge, for a minimum of 8 hours, but I usually do it overnight.

The next day, cut the roast into 3-4 equal sized hunks (plus the bone).  Pat each piece dry, and coat with the dry rub.  Rub it into the meat well. (It is ok, GOOD even, if you have a little of the rub left!  You will use it later!)  Preheat your Instant Pot/Power Pressure Cooker on Saute mode.  When it is hot, add some olive oil.  When that is hot, add a couple of the hunks of pork and brown on all sides til they are nicely brown and a little crisp.  Repeat til all the pieces are browned.  Add  2 c. chicken broth to an 8 quart, or 1 1/2 cups chicken broth to a 6 quart instant pot, and deglaze the bottom thoroughly (that just means make sure that all the flavorful bits are scraped up off the bottom after you browned the meat).

Add all of the pork, including the piece with the big bone.  Put the lid on, and cook under pressure for 90 minutes.  Let naturally release for 20 minutes.  

When it is done, manually release the pressure, and good luck getting the meat out of the pot without it falling completely apart.  If I have any of the dry rub mix left over (and I do try to save some) sprinkle that on top, along with a few dashes of liquid smoke. 

These make fabulous pulled pork sandwiches, (served with BBQ sauce on the side,), but the pork is also so yummy on pulled pork nachos, or pulled pork mac and cheese.  

I based this recipe on this  one from Kevin and Amanda .  Follow their method if you don't have an Instant Pot! 

Ron's Famous Breaded Pork Tenderloin

Ron is a very good Koch.  (ha....get what I did there?)  He can make really yummy meals out of almost anything, and often, he just throws things together without a recipe.  It almost always comes out...edible.   There are a few meals, however, that he has perfected, and he does write down the recipe, because he doesn't feel he can improve much upon it.  This breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is one of them.  I usually buy the huge pork loin when it is on sale for $1.89 or less.  This last one I purchased for just $1.59!  That is a steal!  I freeze it for a few hours, to make it more slice-able (except when I forget and leave it in the freezer, whole, for 3 days.  Then I have to saw and saw and saw to get it sliced!) I usually get 4  packages of 4 ( 1/2 - 3/4  inch ) pork "chops" and then a hunk left over for a "roast".

Ron takes a package of thawed pork "chops" and makes them into breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches. 

Pound the pork loin slice to about 1/4 thick, as evenly as possible.  (Warn people and dogs in your family when you are going to do this....it is startlingly noisy).  Marinate overnight in enough buttermilk to cover (2 or 3 cups), with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and 2 cloves of garlic, pressed.  (Sorry folks....he doesn't measure the spices.)

The next day, when you are ready to cook them,

1. dip them in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.  
2. drench in two beaten eggs, mixed with equal part of the leftover marinade
3. roll in a mixture of bread crumbs, corn meal, Panko crumbs and Italian seasoning (again...sorry....no measurements)
4. Preheat Air Fryer to 400
5. Put in air fryer tray sprayed with Pam and spray the top of the tenderloin with Pam.  Air fry at 400 for 10 minutes.
6. Turn and spray with Pam again.  
7. Air fry for an additional 5 minutes. 

He has also just fried them in oil in a skillet on the top of the stove. Much messier, but it works very well and is delicious.  Out of love for his wife and concern for her high cholesterol numbers, he has switched to using an Air Fryer. 

Everything Hamburger Buns

After an almost 5 year break, I decided to come back here and check in. A lot has happened in the last five years! The youngest graduated from high school, gone off to college, come back HOME from college (due to COVID-19) and has a girlfriend we just love, the second  youngest got married to a fella we adore, graduated from college, and made me a GRANDMA, the second oldest has graduated from college and has a great job and a girlfriend we love and lives only a couple of hours away from us, and our oldest moved from IL back to IA and has a job and a church and a life he loves as well.  God is good.  Ron and I are enjoying a semi-empty nest, with kids coming back here and there for a short while as they need.  We are happy and blessed!

I still love cooking and baking, and that is one of the reasons that I decided to pop back on here.  This is an easy spot to share recipes when people ask for them.  Today (in the midst of our stay at home/no school/no church services due to this virus that is hitting our country hard) Ron wanted to make breaded pork tenderloins.  Since I love to bake, and have a yummy recipe, I decided to make some hamburger buns to go with them.  Several people have asked me for my recipe.  Never mind the naysayers who tease me and say, "You know they SELL hamburger buns at the grocery store, right?"  But, they don't sell hamburger buns like THESE at the grocery store!

I have made these for several years, and have combined a few recipes to get them to turn out the way I like them best.  So...here ya go!  

1 c. warm water

1 T. yeast

1/4 c. sugar 

3 -3 1/2 c. flour

1 t. salt

1 large egg, beaten

2 T. unsalted butter, softened

EVERYTHING BAGEL SEASONING

Mix together 2 t. each 

sesame seeds

poppy seeds

minced dried onion

minced dried garlic

1/2 -3/4 T. Kosher salt

1 egg white, beaten (for brushing on the baked buns)

• Add the yeast and 1/2 of the sugar to the warm water and let sit 5-10 minutes, until the yeast is bubbling and active.  
• Add 3 cups of the flour, salt, softened butter, egg and the rest of the sugar to the water/yeast mixture.  (IF desired, add 2 T. of the everything bagel seasoning, or a couple of tsp. of dried onion powder)  Knead (I use my Kitchenaid stand mixer.)  Knead for 3-5 minutes.  Add more flour if needed, to make a soft and tacky (but not sticky) dough.  
• Place in a greased bowl and let rise in a warm spot, covered, until about doubled in size.  (This usually takes 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  )
• Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface roll into a ball.  Divide the dough in to 8 equal pieces (about 3 1/2 to 4 oz each).  Roll into a ball (I usually do that similar to what is shown in this video  )
• Place on a cookie sheet or (I prefer) a baking stone.  Flatten them slightly and gently.  Cover and let them rise again until they have doubled in size.  This usually takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour.   Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375.
• Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and, working quickly, brush with lightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with Everything Bagel Seasoning.  (Or for just onion rolls, sprinkle with dried minced onion.  Or for sesame rolls, sprinkle with sesame seeds.)  You have to be quick and brush one roll, then sprinkle with seasoning.  If the egg white dries, the seeds won't stick.
• Return the buns to the oven and continue baking 5-8 more minutes, until they are golden brown on the top.  Remove from the oven and cool on a baking rack.  Wait until they are mostly cooled to slice.  They are good with any kind of patty....breaded tenderloin, buffalo burger, hamburger, bratwurst patty. 

ENJOY!

What does a year’s worth of laundry soap look like?

This!

I have made homemade laundry soap a few times.  Once I made liquid, and HATED it, because it was so….gloopy and sloppy.  But this stuff?  I love it!  It smells great, cleans really well, and for under $30, I will have enough to last for a year (doing laundry for 3 of us, so around 6-10 loads a week).  I have read several articles about this, and yes, it is safe for HE washers.  You only need to use 1-2 tablespoons for each load.  Here is what it takes.

• 2 bars of Zote soap
• 1 large box of 20 Mule Team Borax (4 lb. 12 oz)
• 1 (3 pound or so) OxiClean powder
• 1 (3 lb 7 oz) box of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
• 1 (4 pound) box of Baking Soda
• 2 bottles (containers?) Laundry Crystals (whatever scent you prefer…I like lavendar) (Brands include Purex, Downy, Gain…)

The biggest job is grating the soap. I always use my food processor.  I shred it using a shredding blade, then I put it back in the food processor with the S blade and some of the baking soda, and blend it.

Then, you need a really, REALLY big container to mix it all in. A 5 gallon bucket with a lid is perfect, so you can just mix and shake right in the bucket.  A dishpan also works.  Just dump everything in and shake/stir…whatever it takes to get it all blended together well. 

The entire process took less than 30 minutes.  Save the Oxi clean container, and the laundry crystal containers, and anything else you can use to store it in.  Use 1 tablespoon for small loads, and for large loads use 2.  If I see a stain, I will pretreat with a laudnry spray.  Overall, we are VERY happy with this stuff.

(This is not my original “recipe”, but I don’t know who, in the big wide world of the internet, to give credit to.  It is all over pinterest.  I found it here, and here, and here in a really quick browse.)

Homemade Mixes

 

Ok, I know this is a random post after having been silent for so long.  I’m not even going to try to promise to do better.  I will try!

I spent today trying to track down all my recipes for homemade mixes.  I have some in my gmail, some on index cards, some on pinterest boards, etc.  I decided to put them all here, in one place, so I know where to find them easily.

Taco seasoning mix, Italian dressing mix, Ranch dressing mix, Greek seasoning and Cream of chicken soup mix.

The mix that I go through the most of is taco seasoning mix.  It is so easy to throw together, and SO much better than the store bought packets!  I usually multiply the recipe by 10 and make a really large amount and store in a pint mason jar. (The measurements in parenthesis are the amounts when multiplied by 10) I use 2-3 T. when a recipe calls for taco seasoning mix.  I also sometimes add jalapeno, habanero or cayenne pepper to the mix, depending on who I’m cooking for.

TACO SEASONING

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder (10 T.)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (2.5 t.)
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder (2.5 t.)
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (2.5 t.)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano (2.5 t.)
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (5 t.) = (1 T. + 2 t.)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (15 t.) = (3 T.)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (10 t.) = (3 T. + 1 t)  *I reduce this
• 1 teaspoon black pepper (10 t.) = (3 T. + 1 t)

Italian dressing mix is another often used mix.  Making it myself just tastes SO much better than the little packets.  It is also quite a bit less expensive when you make it on your own!  I have a smaller container for this, so I don’t usually double this one…it’s just what fits in my jar! I sometimes cut down on the sugar in this.  I use 2 T. when a recipe calls for a packet.

ITALIAN DRESSING MIX

• 1 T. sugar
• 1 T. garlic powder
• 1 T. onion powder
• 2 t. oregano
• 1/4 t. thyme
• 1 T. parsley
• 1 T. salt
• 1 t. pepper
• 1 t. basil

Another staple in my cupboard is homeade Ranch dressing mix.  My favorite is one that uses buttermilk powder, so that is the one I use the most. I use 3 T. when I find a recipe that calls for a packet.  (I got this recipe from here)

RANCH DRESSING MIX

• ⅓ cup dry buttermilk powder
• 3 tablespoons dried parsley flakes, divided
• 2 ½ teaspoons granulated garlic
• 2 ½ teaspoons granulated onion
• 2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
• 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
• 2 teaspoons dried chives
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher or sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked or ground black pepper

And this one is fairly new …I just made it today! I plan on using it to make OPA! fries…mmmmmmm.

GREEK SEASONING

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 2 teaspoons dried basil

• 2 teaspoons dried Greek oregano

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, minced

• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed

• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram

• 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

And finally, I made a big jar of homemade cream of chicken soup mix. I have been making this stuff since our seminary days (that goes all the way back to the early ‘90s!)  I also make a batch using beef bullion if I’m going to want cream of mushroom soup for beef based meals.

CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP MIX

• 2 c non-fat dried milk
• 1.5 c cornstarch
• 1/2 c chicken bouillon powder
• 1/2 cup minced onions (dried)
• 1 t pepper

To make 1 can of cream of chicken soup, mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 1/4 cups of water.  Whisk together in saucepan, and stir til it boils and is thickened.  Add it to the recipe that calls for cream of chicken soup.

Do you know what Braunschweiger is?

I can remember being VERY young and hearing my dad “sneak” to the refrigerator in the evening.  I would follow, knowing he was going to cut off a hunk of braunschweiger to snack on.  If I caught him, he’d cut off a hunk for me, too (bribery to keep me from telling on him!) Mom would pretend to be annoyed when she’d see the half a hunk left in the fridge…”Who ate all the braunschweiger?”  Dad and I would just grin at each other, knowing full well that mom knew the truth. Sue Ann, did you ever get any?

A couple of years after my mom died (SIXTEEN YEARS ago yesterday…wow…where did the time go?), my dad remarried.  Dorothy made my dad really, really happy for almost ten years! They loved life together, and had lots of fun dancing the years away. We love her SO much for that!  And she made US happy for many reasons…she made dad happy, she loved us, loved our kids, AND… because she introduced braunschweiger dip to our family!

I think the first time I had this dip was when dad and Dorothy visited for Caleb’s confirmation.  She may have made it before that, when we visited at their house, but I don’t remember that.  I just know we looked at it and said “ummm…thanks…what is it?”  (It is NOT a lovely looking dish, LOL)  One bite and we were over the MOON!  Oh, it is SOOO yummy! We like it best with Triscuit type crackers or Wheat Thins…(maybe Wheat thins best, but only because we just LOVE saying it like THIS COMMERCIAL!  )
It is now a standard dip at Confirmation parties, birthday parties, Thanksgiving appetizers and New Year’s Eve.  You just gotta try it!

BRAUNSCHWEIGER DIP

• 1 lb. braunschweiger
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup mayo (or Salad Dressing)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• dash Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T. Dill pickle juice
• 1 t. horseradish
• 1 t. garlic powder

Blend all together (I usually throw it all into the food processor and process til it is smooth) and chill.  Serve with Wheat thin or Triscuit type crackers.  It is also good with pita chips!

Thanks, Dorothy!  We love you!

Caleb’s graduation, May 2009

Want to impress people???

Make a pizza braid.  It is seriously one of the easiest things to make, it never fails to impress, and it always disappears super quickly!
Tonight was Ethan’s Cross Country banquet.  He had a really successful year.  He lettered, he got a certificate for running the entire way from the middle school to the high school (13 miles!!!) on homecoming night, and he got to bring home his “beads” where they put a bead on a string for every mile they ran.  From mid-August to mid-October, the kid ran 153 miles!  I’m impressed, aren’t you???  He also earned his second “100 mile club” t-shirt, for running a hundred miles in one season.  Way to go ETHAN (Oh, and HAPPY 16th birthday, yesterday!  Seriously…16????  Wasn’t this just yesterday??? (no, really it was 2005!))

THIS was yesterday…

(he’s enjoying Chicken nachos from Rudy’s Tacos in Waterloo, IA.  YUMMY place for a birthday dinner!)

Anyway, for the Cross Country awards banquet, the families of the runners have a potluck.  (just fyi, this was our 9th or 10th year in a row to attend this banquet!)  Tonight, I made a couple of pizza braids.  Several years ago, I made ONE pizza braid for the potluck.  It was gone after the first 6 people went through the line.  So this year I made 2.  I still didn’t get any (and it smelled REALLY good in the car on the way there!)  Next time I might make FOUR!

This is SO easy!  You start out by rolling out a thawed loaf of frozen bread dough. (Yes, I have made the bread dough from scratch before, and I have used from scratch pizza dough, too.  Just about any kind of dough will work) I roll it out really thin, so that it almost covers my Pampered Chef rectangle stone. (mine are really seasoned well…they look nasty…don’t judge!)

Spoon pizza sauce down the center of the dough.  Then (optional) add slices of pepperoni (this is really good with just cheese, too!).  Top with shredded mozzarella.

Next, cut slices, about 1 inch apart, along the sides. 

Criss-cross the sliced dough, alternating sides, and overlapping just a bit, so that it looks like a braid.  I didn’t take a picture of this step, so I hope you can “picture” what I mean.
Tuck the ends in to make it look nice, if you wish.  I don’t have good luck with this part.

Bake in a 375 oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until it is golden brown.  While it is baking, melt some butter in a pan, and add minced garlic.  For 2 braids, 1/2 of a stick of butter and a huge tablespoon of jarred minced garlic was just about right.

As soon as it comes out of the oven, brush the melted garlic butter on top.  Keep brushing.  LOTS of garlic butter makes this OVER the TOP yummy!

One of the high school kids asked me “where did you GET those?”  I said (with mock huffiness) “I MADE those!”  His eyes widened and he said, “All by YOURSELF?????”

Made my day. 

You can make someone’s day, too, if you make them a pizza braid!

Aunt Sue Ann’s Crock Pot Lasagna

There has been recent discussion about crock pot meals among some of my friends.  My family’s favorite “Crock Pot Mac and Cheese” came up, so I gave that recipe out a few more times.  The best part about that recipe is that you do NOT cook the noodles first.  You can put it together in moments, and then walk away, and 2 1/2 hours later, you have dinner!  Who doesn’t love that?

Lasagna is another favorite crock pot pasta dish in my family.  I have to give credit to my sister, Sue Ann, for this one.  I don’t know where she found the recipe, but it’s a great one.  And again, you DON’T have to cook the noodles first.  (Next time I make it, I will take a picture, and update this post…of course…I said that a couple of years ago with the mac and cheese one, and yep…still no pictures!)

• 1-16 oz pkg. bow tie pasta (I have successfully used other shapes)
• 2 cups sour cream
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• parmesan cheese
• mozzarella cheese
• 1 large jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 pound ground beef

Spray crock or line with crock pot liners (BEST INVENTION EVER!) Place layers in crock pot: Sauce, noodles, sour cream/cottage cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese.  Repeat layers til you are out of ingredients or the crock is full.  Cook on high 4 hours.

If the sauce seems super thick or things don’t seem to even out well, I will sometimes add a cup of boiling water, just to help the noodles cook. 

Another family favorite!  Thanks, Aunt SueAnn!

Pinned it. Made it. Strawberry Poppyseed Salad

And it was seriously FANTASTIC! Everyone thought it was yummy.   I followed the recipe from HERE.   I did it exactly as the recipe stated,  (except the I really didn't measure much,  lol) and added grilled chicken.   Oh.. And I used the whole pound of bacon... 'cause you can never have too much bacon,  right?

Strawberry Poppyseed Salad (with bacon and chicken)

Salad ingredients :
6 cups romaine lettuce,  chopped
2 cups strawberries,  sliced/chopped
8 strips (or the whole pound) cooked and crumbled bacon
1/2 red onion,  chopped
1 cup feta cheese

Dressing ingredients :

1 tsp.  minced garlic
1 tsp.  diced red onion
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c.  white vinegar
1/4 c.  chopped strawberries
1/2 c.  olive oil
1/4 tsp.  salt
1 tbsp.  poppyseeds

Additional optional ingredients :
Grilled chicken
The family suggested cucumbers
I suggested candied pecans
And next time,  I would do it with Bleu cheese instead of the feta

Mix the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and process till smooth.   Mix the salad ingredients in a big bowl (and if you are like me,  you have to set aside a serving with no onions,  for the picky eater).   Add dressing and mix well.   Yummm!

Pinned it and Actually DID it! (new blog topic…)

I saw this on a blog somewhere and thought it was a GREAT idea.  You know all those things you “Pin” from pinterest?  Well, I actually DO try to do some of them.  And honestly, I have yet to try one that is a “pin fail” or a “pinstrosity”  I’m sure my time is coming.  But either way, when I try something new from Pinterest, I will try to share it here, and let you know…thumbs up or thumbs down. 

First up…MARGARITA CAKE

OK…just to be clear…this is a total and COMPLETE thumbs up.  This.  Was.  AWESOME!!!  My best friend and coworker has decided that she isn’t coming back next year to work as an associate with me.  Often, our beverage of choice when we get together after a long, HARD day of work, is a margarita.  In honor of her last day of school, I made this margarita cake. 

THIS IS NOT MY PICTURE….it is from the above linked site where I originally found the recipe I was going to follow!  (I would have taken a picture, but…umm…well…the people that I work with tend to make things disappear quicker than I can get a picture!)

It was a hit by all who tasted it.  Seriously good cake.  There is a crushed pretzel crust on the bottom, which took this cake over the top. 

• 1½ cups coarsely crushed pretzels
• ½ cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1 box white cake mix
• 1¼ cups bottled nonalcoholic margarita mix
• 1⁄3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon grated lime peel
• 3 egg whites
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream (I deviated from the recipe here…it really called for cool whip, but I SO MUCH prefer whipping cream!)
• 1/3-1/2 cup sugar
• Grated lime peel or wedges, if desired

Preheat your oven to 350*.  Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with Nonstick cooking spray)
Place pretzels in food processor and pulse to a crumb (or…if you need to get out some aggression, pound it in a baggie)  Add sugar (I think next time I might leave out the sugar and just go for the salty in the pretzels.  There is enough “sweet” in this cake) and butter and press into the greased pan.  Press down gently.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, margarita mix, oil, lime peel and egg whites with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Continue beating on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pretzel mixture.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake is done (very lightly golden on top)  Cool completely, about 1 hour. **Stick the bowl and beater of your mixer into the freezer for about 15 minutes.  Pour heavy whipping cream and 1/2 cup sugar into bowl and whip til stiff peaks form.  Top the cake.  Sprinkle with freshly grated lime peel.  Store, covered, in the fridge.

**Now, IF a person weren’t taking this to school, one could take a little bit (1/4 cup or less) of Jose Gold tequila and, using a pastry brush, just lightly brush tequila over the top of the cake.  Not much, but it can add just a nice touch.  THEN frost it with the whipped cream.  OOOH…sends it over the top!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies …

I have come full circle in my quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie.  After trying dozens of recipes over the years, I have returned to the first chocolate chip cookie recipe that I ever made.  I have determined that everyone’s opinion of “the best” chocolate chip cookie depends on what kind their mothers made.  If your mom made well done, crispy and crunchy chocolate chip cookies, then that kind is your favorite.  If your mother made the kind of chocolate chip cookie that is a little under done and chewy, then that is your favorite kid. 

For years, I’ve tried new recipes for chocolate chip cookies.  I’m always in search of “the perfect” one.  (Which is really going to mess up my kids, because THEIR mother doesn’t have that ONE kind that they were raised on)  It’s been difficult, because Ron and I were raised on different types of cookies. He likes his crisp and crunchy, and I like mine super soft, chewy and gooey.  So I’ve been trying for almost 25 years to find one that makes us both happy.  Each recipe that I’ve tried, I make half or so that I underbake for me, and half or so that I “burn” (as I lovingly call it) for him.

I’m not going to search any longer.  I have made my decision and counted to ten (anyone know what movie that quote comes from?")  I have found the perfect chocolate chip cookie FOR ME, and it is my mom’s recipe for soft chocolate chip cookies.  Especially when they are just warm from the oven, they are crispy on the outside and chewy and gooey in the middle.  So if you like chewy and soft….TRY this recipe.  I think you will love it!  (and I will  continue to “burn” a couple of cookie sheets of them for my wonderful husband !)

This is a picture of my mom and dad on “their bench” at the Fulton County Fair.  I LOVE this picture.  This is my 15th Mother’s Day without my mom, and tomorrow will be the second May 13th without my dad (his birthday).  I love and miss you both!  Happy Mother’s day, Mom, and Happy Birthday, Dad!

SOFT AND CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

• 1 c. unsalted butter
• 1 cup vegetable shortening (I like butter flavored Crisco sticks)
• 1 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 c. white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 t. vanilla
• 5 c. sifted flour
• 1 t. salt
• 2 t. baking soda
• 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips (I might be guilty of using more!)

Cream butter, shortening and sugars til light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Beat again til light and fluffy.  Sift together flour, salt and soda; stir into creamed mixture.  Add chocolate chips.  Drop dough by rounded teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake in 375 degree oven until cookies are brown around the edge but centers are not done, Between 8 and 9 minutes.  Makes 96 cookies.

YUMMY!!

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

…it’s what’s for supper tonight!
Ingredients

• 4 large green bell peppers
• 1-1 1/2 lb  ground beef
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (12-14 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
• 1/2  pound raw bacon
• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 2-3 chopped tomatoes (or a can of tomatoes)
• up to 2 cups shredded cheddar (optional)

Directions
Cut tops off peppers and set aside (for later use).  After removing seeds/membranes, cut each pepper into 8 pieces.  Cook peppers in boiling water for 3-5 minutes.  Remove and place in the bottom of a casserole dish.  (A 7x11 pan would be a good size.  This dish is EASY to add to if you want to use a 9 x 13)

Brown ground beef and onions.  Add salt, pepper, rice, corn, tomatoes and sauce.  At this point you can also add black beans if you like them…or pinto beans…and we really like it with jalapeno peppers sliced into the mix as well. Heat through.
Spread hot filling on top of peppers. 

Top with pepper tops, (only 4 pepper tops is never enough to cover the whole casserole, but it looks nice)  raw bacon slices and cheese (or cheese and then bacon…whichever you prefer.)

Bake stuffed peppers at 350° for 30 minutes, or til the bacon is done.

ENJOY!

Celebrating!

I made a really yummy cake to celebrate the fact that everyone was going to be home for the weekend.  Cameron and Caleb quite successfully completed their first and third years at the University of Iowa.  We are so proud of them!

Cameron will be managing our local pool for the summer, so he’s home for a while.  Caleb has a job in Iowa City so he just came home for the weekend.  We enjoyed having everyone here for that brief time.

In celebration, this is the cake I made.

I simply made a double layer 9 inch chocolate cake following the recipe on the box (I also added a cup or so of chocolate chips into the batter, just because I could)  After the layers were baked, I cooled them, and stacked them together with a layer of frosting in the middle.  I frosted the entire cake with chocolate frosting.  Then, I just covered the outside of the cake with mini Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Is it ok to admit that I even impressed myself with this cake?  It was SO easy, and oh.  my.  goodness.  Was it ever delicious????  Yes, is the answer!

Ron felt that he had an entire year’s worth of chocolate with just one serving.  Others of us…not so much, LOL.  It was (obviously) VERY, very rich.  But amazing. 

Try it for your next celebration.  You won’t regret it!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I just found a new recipe for chocolate chip cookies.  They stayed soft (my favorite kind of cookie!) and moist until they were all gone.  (This is the recipe that I have used a couple of times on that yummy Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie Dessert. ) 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 c butter
1/4 c sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
12 oz chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1 (3 1/2-4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding

Beat butter, both sugars, vanilla and pudding mix until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour and baking soda. Add chips. Drop onto cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes. Check them after 5 or 6 minutes, because you only want them to be lightly browned.

Cool and EAT!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup and Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie Bars

 

OK, if this post doesn’t make you want to join Pinterest, I can be fairly certain that NOTHING will!

We had some friends over for the Super Bowl, and I made this (if I do say so myself) WONDERFUL baked potato soup in the crock pot. This will definitely make an appearance at our table again.

• 5 pounds potatoes, diced (The original recipe says don’t peel, but …I didn’t want anyone saying my soup tastes like dirt, so…I peeled them)
• 1 onion diced about the same size as the potatoes
• 8-10 cloves of garlic, minced
• 64 ounces (8 cups) chicken stock or broth
• 16 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
• crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, green onions

Place the chicken broth in the crock pot.  Add potatoes, onion, garlic and seasoned salt.  Cook on high 4-6 hours, (or low 8-10 hours) or until the potatoes are soft.  Scoop out up to half of the hot potatoes broth and place in blender or food processor, with the cream cheese.  Process til pureed and add back to the crock pot. 

Serve in bowls and let folks add bacon, shredded cheese and scallions as they desire.

 

(I found this recipe on this blog via Pinterest)

Next, it was my turn to bring birthday treats for a co-worker.  I decided to go all out, and make another AWESOME looking Pinterest recipe.  Yeah, it was another hit!

First, make your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough and press it into the bottom of a (waxed paper or parchment paper lined) 9 x 13 pan.

(do as I say, and not as I did.  I made 2 pans.  One I lined with waxed paper, and one I didn’t…Believe me…you WANT to line your pan!)

Top with a layer of Oreos.  Double Stuffed Oreos (hey, if you are going to go all out on a dessert like this…go all out in a big way!)

And here’s where it gets good.  Make up a batch of your favorite brownie mix for a 9 x 13 pan.  Pour it over the top of the cookie dough and oreos.

Bake in a 350 oven for 45-55 minutes (55 was a little long for me…check it at 45)

Cool slightly, slice and (to put it REALLY over the top) serve with ice cream.

YUM!

Organization (and Chili Cornbread Casserole)

It’s something that I struggle with, but strive for.  Our linen closet has always just been a jumbled mess, except for the occasional (and I DO mean OCCASIONAL) day or two after I decide to empty it out and try to match up sheet sets, etc.  It has always been Ron’s job to make up the extra beds when we have overnight guests, and recently, I could just tell he was so frustrated with trying to find the right sized fitted sheets that somewhat matched a right sized flat sheet. 

I’ve tried, in the past, to match up a set, and put it inside of a pillow case, so that all we would have to do is pull a pillowcase out, and we’d have a full, mostly matched set.  But when I did that, there were 2 problems.  1) you couldn’t see inside the pillowcase to tell whether the sheet set inside was a twin, double or queen sized set, and 2), they just didn’t lay flat in the closet. 

I saw a nicely organized linen closet on Pinterest a few weeks ago.  It used a basket for each size and type of sheet.  Amazingly, when I was at Bed, Bath and Beyond last week, they had canvas totes on clearance.  I had to buy some.  And this is the end result.  (It’s not perfect…I didn’t measure right, and thought the totes would fit in my closet better than they did.  I made it work, but it did take a total gutting of the closet.  That’s ok…it needed it.)

I made a yummy chili cornbread casserole for supper last week.  It was my version of a Pampered Chef recipe, and was brought to my attention by my PW friend Sonia.  Now, I have to admit what I did.  I didn’t have the PC chipotle seasoning, so I just used some fajita seasoning that I had.  But while it was simmering, I thought I’d try to kick it up a bit, by adding a couple of shakes of my homemade crushed habanero pepper flakes.  Only…the jar didn’t have a shaker lid, and I dumped a BUNCH in there.  We like things spicy, but wow…this was more than “knock your socks off” hot.  We liked it a LOT, and we all had seconds even.  But it did almost make us cry.  And we went through a lot of Kleenex.

Here’s how to make my version of

Chili Cornbread Bake

• 1 small to medium onion, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 can chili beans in sauce, don’t drain
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 packet (or 2-3 T.)  taco seasoning, chili seasoning, fajita seasoning…anything you want to use to suit your tastes and what you have on hand.

Fry up the ground beef with onion (you can also add green pepper if you wish) til browned.  Add beans, salsa and seasoning mix and simmer for 5 minutes or so.  Pour into a greased 9x9 pan.

Make your favorite corn bread.  (Use a mix like Jiffy, or, as I prefer, make your favorite homemade cornbread recipe.  Here’s what I used (I LOVE this cornbread!)

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2-4 T. sugar
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 c. milk
• 1/4 cup cooking oil or melted shortening

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the , cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Make a well in the center of the dry mixture; set aside. 

In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk and cooking oil/shortening.  Add egg mixture all at once, and stir til moistened.  (To make cornbread, pour batter into reased 9 x 9 inch pan and bake at 425* for 20-25 minutes or til a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean)

To finish the chili cornbread bake, just pour the cornbread mixture over the top of the chili.  Bake at 425, for 20-25 minutes, or until the cornbread is lightly golden brown.  Sprinkle with cheese and cover for a few minutes til the cheese is melted.  Garnish with optional chopped scallions, tomatoes, and sour cream (especially if you made it as HOT as I did!)

Ohhhh, this is yummy!

Homemade Irish Cream

My hubby makes this YUMMY beverage for me sometimes.  It is smooth, and creamy, and just absolutely hits the spot.  It nicely warms you, from the inside!  It is a hit with all we share it with!

Homemade Irish Crème

• 2 Cans Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 1/3 cups  Black Velvet
• 1 pint half and half
• 2 Tablespoon Chocolate Syrup
• 1 tsp instant coffee
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/8 tsp coconut extract (optional)

Mix it all in a pitcher and stir well.  This is best if you let it sit overnight, to let the coffee dissolve.  But…most times we can’t wait.  It’s still good!

This year, this bottle was a gift from me to a friend.  It was full of this Irish Crème.  I told her that it was a conditional gift.  She could have it on the condition that she gave it back when it was empty for a refill.  She agreed, and this is the first refill! 

YUM!

SNOW DAY!! (and my Mom’s Bread Pudding)

I said earlier as my status on facebook…the ONLY good thing about snow is the occasional snow day.  And today was one!  We did get a good bunch of snow, starting in the wee hours of the morning.  Poor Rachel was up, dressed and at the middle school in the vehicle that would shuttle her to the High School for an early morning practice, when the bus driver got the call that their was no school.  She came home and promptly went back to bed. 
Ethan got up at 6 am, to do some homework that he left in the vehicle when I went to a friend’s house last night.  He was sitting on his bead working on homework at 6:30 when I went in and let him know there was no school.  He put his homework away and came out on the couch to watch tv…and fell asleep for a few more hours.
I just stayed in bed.  I LOVE being able to do that!  Ron stayed up for a bit and then he slept a bit more, too.  What a great way to start a weekend!
Ethan is at a friend’s house, but before he left, I had him shovel a little bit.  He did a good job, but didn’t come close to getting it all done.  There was a BUNCH of snow!

Rachel woke up and wanted to make something.  She asked about bread pudding, and I said… “I have my mom’s recipe”.   She went through my recipe box and found it, which really made me laugh, because when I was a kid and we had a snow day…the first thing I did was went through my mom’s recipe box, looking for something to make that day!  Like mother, like daughter!

So, I taught her how to make my mom’s bread pudding.  It is SOOO yummy, and such a comfort food for me.  I have my mom’s original recipe…in her handwriting, even!

It’s a well used recipe, isn’t it?  It was one of the things that my mom made quite often. 

So, first I taught Rachel how to scaled milk, as she has never done that step before.  If you are unsure of what it means, there is a good “how to” on this page.  But it is EASY, and don’t let it scare you away!

She made toast, and buttered it.

Then she tore it up into little pieces and put it in the greased casserole dish. 

When the milk was scalded, we mixed the eggs, sugar and salt.  We added a little of the scalded milk into the eggs, and kept stirring while adding the rest of the hot milk.  Then, Rachel poured the milk over the toast.

And then (I didn’t take a picture of this) Rachel sprinkled cinnamon sugar over the top of it all.  And then we baked it.  The recipe says for 25 minutes, but I had to go closer to 35 or maybe even 40 minutes today. 

Oh.  Yum!  YUM!  YUMMY!!!

Wish you could have had a bite!

Chicken and Broccoli Mac and Cheese

I hit upon a winner for dinner tonight!  OOOH…this was sooo yummy, and VERY easy.  I just made a basic  homemade mac and cheese, and added precooked chicken and some broccoli and baked it.  MMMMM….we ate way too much!

I was making enough for 4 of us plus leftovers.  So here is what I used. (I make homemade mac and cheese often enough that I don’t really use a recipe.  If you have a favorite recipe that you follow, use that.  If you don’t…here’s my basic amounts (more or less, LOL)

• 2 HUGE chicken breasts (cooked and cubed)
• 1/2 or 3/4 of a large package of frozen broccoli (under cooked a little.  Cook just long enough so that it isn’t frozen any longer)
• 4 cups of uncooked macaroni (bow tie or rotini or other shaped pasta would be good, too)
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1/4 cup or so of milk (add more to make it runnier if you need to)
• 1/3 block of Velveeta-more or less (I used Fareway brand)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar—more or less (I used taco cheese because it is what I had tonight.) 
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I made homemade, and I added some onion powder and garlic powder.)

Boil the noodles and drain.  Chunk up the Velveeta type cheese and butter and stir til it is all melty.  Add the milk and keep stirring.  (If it doesn’t melt very quickly, you can stir it over a low/medium burner.  I usually don’t need to do this, though).  Then stir in 1 to 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese (if I don’t have it, I sometimes leave this out.  Just depends on how cheesy you like it.  We like it best when it is REALLY cheesy)

Add the chicken (when I cooked mine, I added some pepper and garlic.  You can keep your chicken plain or spice it up with whatever flavors you like)  and broccoli.  Stir it up really well, and then pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle with the rest of the shredded cheese (if using), and then toss some bread crumbs on top (for a crispy topping….you can leave this part off, too, if you want…but I can’t imagine why you’d want to.)

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or til the bread crumbs are nice and toasty brown and crunchy on top. 

Ethan took one bite and said “mmmmmmmmmm……..”  And that’s all I heard from him for the next 10 minutes or so.

(As Good as) Chipotle Rice Bowl

It was what was for supper tonight.  And it was SOOOO yummy.  It (sadly) disappeared without me taking a picture, though. 

OK, now that I have it all written out, it LOOKS like a complicated meal, but really…it isn’t!  It took me less than an hour to get it all together, (and much of that hour was letting the steak marinade!)

The first step is deciding whether you want a chicken bowl or a beef bowl.  We had steak tonight, and wow…it was REALLY great.  I’ll give instructions for both.

STEAK

• juice of a lime (or about 2 T. of bottled lime juice)
• 2 tablespoons oil (I prefer olive)
• 2-3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/2-3/4 t. cumin
• 1 chopped/minced jalapeno (we use seeds and all…if you don’t want it at all spicy, remove the seeds and ribs)
• 1/4 c or so of chopped cilantro

Combine marinade ingredients and pour/rub over thawed steaks.  Let them sit for an hour or so.  Then grill til desired doneness.  Cut into fajita slices or bite sized chunks.  (I used sirloin steaks…grilled til just a little pink in the middle.)  That steak was AWESOME!

CHICKEN

Rub some thawed chicken breasts with taco seasoning OR chicken fajita seasoning, OR a mixture (to taste…start with a t. each of cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic salt, oregano).  Grill til done.  Chunk into bite sized pieces.

BLACK BEANS

Drain a can or two of black beans.  Add in 1/4-1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable broth.  For each can of beans, add 1/2 to 1 t. each of cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper.  Heat through.

CORN

Open a can or bag of corn and heat it up.

CILANTRO LIME RICE

• 2 T. olive oil or butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup (not instant) rice
• 2 cups liquid (water, chicken broth, vegetable broth)
• 1-2 T. lime juice (more or less, depending on how “limey” you want it
• 1/4-1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Heat the oil (butter) in saucepan.  Add garlic and rice and saute for 2-3 minutes (don’t let the garlic burn)  Add liquid and lime juice.  Cover and cook, following directions for the rice (usually around 20 minutes).  When it’s done, (taste for lime flavor…if you want more, add a bit more lime juice), add chopped cilantro and stir to combine.

PIONEER WOMAN’S PICO DE GALLO (click link for step by step photos!)

• 5 whole Plum (roma) Tomatoes
• 1/2 whole Large (or 1 Small) Onion
• 3 whole Jalapeno Peppers
• Cilantro
• Lime Juice
• Salt To Taste

Pico de Gallo:
Chop jalapenos, tomatoes and onions into a very small dice. (Leave seeds in your jalapenos for a hotter pico). Adjust amount of jalapenos to your preferred temperature. Next, chop up a nice-sized bunch of cilantro. Just remove and discard the long leafless stems before chopping. No need to remove the leaves from the stems completely. Place all of these ingredients together in a bowl and give it a good stir.

Squeeze the juice of half of one lime into the bowl. Add salt to taste and stir again.

OK…then you just put it all together!

Add rice to a plate or bowl.  Top with steak or chicken, and add a spoonful or two of black beans, a spoonful or 2 of corn, a spoonful or two of Pico…or salsa.  Add some cheese and sour cream if you’d like. 

Some in our family prefer to eat this in a tortilla, others just eat it with a spoon or fork.  YUM!