QUOTE OF THE DAY This day I will marry my friend, the one I laugh with, live for, dream with, love.
Author Unknown
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My ambitions of keeping a running log as we counted down the days til our son and future daughter-in-law’s garden wedding were thwarted, (there was just too much to do) but the wedding did go on without a hitch.
After a lot of hard work,
  
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 and some not so hard work…..
 The garden looked awesome,
 and the flowers were gorgeous.
 The music was great. Thanks, Rusty Lemmon for coming from Nashville to sing at the wedding!
 The photographer took a time out from taking pictures of rock stars to photograph his friends wedding.
 His perspective gave us some stunning photos and were an awesome wedding gift.
 Thanks, Carl Dunn!
 The wedding itself was enchanting,
 and the reception rocked.
 
 A good time was had by all.
 The food,
 the drinks,
 and the cupcakes were divine!
  
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The after party was a blast! Thanks Biscuit Miller and the Mix! for driving all night to get here from Florida in time for the wedding.
Awesome blues and funk!
 And, the newly married couple looked like they were plucked straight out of a fairy tale.
(I don’t make this stuff up! Look for yourselves!)
 It was everything a wedding should be.
 It was perfect.
Oh yeah, and she picked DRESS #3!
I am the first to admit I’m not the most organized cook in the world, and ok, I’ll even go so far as to say I’m not the neatest–especially when it comes to baking. But after weeks of mixing, baking, frosting, and forcing my family to taste-test cupcakes til they all begged for mercy, I’m pretty sure I’ve taken myself to a new level of clutter and grime.
 frosting on my cabinet door 225 cupcakes later (or at least it felt like 225)—-
my kitchen is—how can I describe it—My kitchen and everything in it is — sticky. My dogs are sticky, the goldfish bowl is sticky, the people who casually waltzed through the room on their way to other places are sticky, the walls, floor, countertops, and cabinets (see photo above) are sticky, and I am sticky. Worst of all, it appears that this stickiness might be permanent. I’ve scrubbed the kitchen and bathed the dogs. My feet still stick to the tile, and one cabinet door appears to be permanently stuck shut. Marathon cupcake making is not something I would recommend even to my worst enemy. (I’m lying–definitely to my worst enemy)
That said, the long miserable search for the perfect wedding garden cupcakes is over. Between my recipe testing and Teresa’s mother’s recipe testing, the cupcakes have been chosen–I think…….
(This was not the fun adventure I thought it would be!)
 one of my many cupcake failures But, now that it’s over, I guess it was worth it.
 White Chocolate Cupcake No more worries that Dave and Teresa might make good on their threat to buy pre-made cupcakes at Target.
 Chocolate Cupcake No more searching for the right bakery.
 Strawberry Cupcake It’s all on me and Teresa’s mother, Lee. OMG, Did I just say it’s all on ME and LEE??
I’ll post the recipes as soon as my heart finds it’s way back into my chest, and I’m 100% sure these really are the ones.
God help me. I have a new knife. It’s really sharp. I also have a new box of band-aids. Because my new knife is apparently more than I can handle.
Oh, sure, I’ve had lotsa new knives before–but never one like this baby.
It’s a weapon. I could seriously hurt someone with this knife—in particular, ME!!
This knife can cut through a whole unskinned onion like it was butter. This knife can cut paper thin tomato slices, green peppers, radishes and carrots. This knife can mince garlic and dice onions better and faster than any chopping device I’ve ever owned. This knife costs $70.00. Not a lot when you consider high-end chef’s knives can cost upwards of $100.00, but a whole lot if you consider you can buy a full set of Paula Deen’s at Walmart for $59.99. This knife also comes from a surprising source.
Yep, I got sucked into attending one of those parties we all say we hate but secretly love. This one was a Pampered Chef party and I gotta tell you, I spent some bucks. This knife was just one of many purchases I made for reasons I’m still trying to sort out. (I’m not normally an impulse buyer and I’m usually a bargain shopper–usually)
Looking back on that night, as best I can tell, the punch was not spiked, and there wasn’t anything “funny” in the brownies. Could it be chalked up to a mob mentality? Maybe. There was some frenzied buying going on. Or, maybe the Pampered Chef garlic press my daughter-in-law gave me two years ago that STILL hasn’t broken was the trigger–(all you garlic freaks out there will know what I mean when I say it’s really hard to find a DURABLE garlic press) Who knows. Whatever it was, I did some serious shopping, and this knife was just a drop in the bucket when you consider the rest of my purchases.
After using this knife, I have a new respect for all those contestants on Top Chef and Hell’s Kitchen. If their gleaming kitchen knives can cut better than my new Pampered Chef Santoku, they’ve got some serious skills goin’ on to still be in possession of all ten of their fingers!
Pampered Chef Santoku knife LINK
Recipe Rating: EASY*
This is a recipe I found years ago in a cookbook put together by a women’s group my mother was in. It became an instant favorite for my beef loving crew, and I like it because I can throw it on and pretty much forget about it til dinner. Plus, it will feed a small army for not much money. A win/win/win situation! I usually make this dish with an arm roast but a chuck or rump roast will work, too. I used a chuck below because Walmart didn’t have an arm roast.
The key to this recipe is time–Not prep time because it’s super fast to put together–but time to cook. It needs at least 8 hours to simmer–12 or more in a slow cooker.
Here’s what you need–plus some red wine, a little chili powder, grated black pepper, and a pinch of cinnamon. Sorry. I left a few ingredients out of the picture. And I added something that I didn’t use–salt. What can I say–I got distracted. Trust me when I say you don’t want to know why.
Put a 3 to 4 lb. roast in your cooker of choice. I use a dutch oven on top of the stove. Add 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary (or 1 tsp dried rosemary), 1 1/2 tsp savory, 1/2 tsp chili powder, a tiny pinch of cinnamon, and 3 cloves of minced garlic to the pot. Pour in 1 can of onion soup–I used French Onion because that was all I could find. Any type of onion soup will work as long as it’s not cream of onion–you could even use a bouillon cube dissolved in a cup of water and add a thinly sliced onion. Lastly add 1/4 cup of red wine and 1/4 c. water.
And that’s it! Flip the roast over a few times to mix the spices into the liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, clamp on the lid, and cook for 8 hours.
About 4 hours in, check the liquid and add a good dusting of freshly grated pepper and salt to taste, if necessary.
After 8 hours, the roast should be very tender and soupy–fork tender and almost falling apart. If it’s not, put the lid back on, and cook it til it is. Then shred the meat with two forks.
Spoon onto buns and serve extra sauce on the side for dipping. This is also good over mashed potatoes or rice. Versatile little recipe, eh?
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SAVORY PULLED ROAST SANDWICHES
3-4 lb arm roast (or chuck or butt or any kind of roast)
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp fresh minced rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary
1 1/2 tsp savory
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp chili powder
pinch cinnamon
1 can onion soup (broth not creamed soup) or 1 bouillion cube dissolved in 1 c. water
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. red wine
Put the roast in a dutch oven. Sprinkle the spices and garlic over the roast. Mix soup, 1/4 c. water, and 1/4 c. red wine together and pour over the roast. Flip the roast over a couple of times to mix in the spices. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 4 hours and taste the liquid. Add a good grating of fresh pepper and if necessary, salt.
Put the lid back on and cook another 4 hours. Roast should be soupy, very tender, and falling apart. Shred meat into the broth with two forks and serve on buns or over mashed potatoes or rice.
recipe rating: INTERMEDIATE*
I love chicken and dumplings. I mean, I really LOVE chicken and dumplings! I especially love chicken and dumplings when it’s cold outside, and man has it ever been cold!
Other than fried chicken, chicken and dumplings is my favorite thing in the world to eat. Well, except for cherry cobbler–and– oh yeah, prime rib with mushroom butter sauce–and then of course, there’s smoked BBQ ribs…..But, for real, chicken and dumplings is right up there towards the top of my list!
As much as I love it, I don’t make chicken and dumplings very often because it’s a pain in the butt to put together. If you’re in a hurry, don’t make this dish! Make yourself some fake chicken and dumplings using plain old canned chicken broth and cut up canned biscuits for the dumplings. Heck– if you’re that shameless, go ahead and toss in some canned chicken. And if that sounds fine to you, please take your sad self to someone else’s blog! We can never be friends. Never. Nope, not possible.
If you decide to stick around and commit to the real deal, go ahead and put a whole skinned chicken in a large pot. To make this easy on yourself, cut away as much of the skin as you can while the hen is still partially frozen. Don’t get all anal about removing every last bit of skin because a little chicken fat will make the stock taste like it’s supposed to–REALLY GOOD! Throw in a package of 6 chicken thighs. I use the boneless, skinless variety because I’m lazy and like to save time where I can!
On top of the chicken, pour 88 ounces chicken broth (one 48 oz. box plus two 16 oz. cans). You need enough broth to completely cover the chicken. If 88 ounces isn’t enough, add more broth or plain water to make it happen. Oh, and the chicken broth can be low sodium if you want, but you will just have to add a ton of salt to make it taste good, so why bother?
Did I mention this isn’t the healthiest dish you’ll ever make?
Next, cut 2 carrots and 2 stalks of celery into large chunks, and 1 large or 2 small/medium onions in half. Dump them in the pot with 6 minced cloves of garlic. (less or even none if you aren’t a fan of garlic. Obviously, I’m a fan.) Top the pot off with a generous dusting of pepper. (the canned variety)
 Bring the whole mess to a boil, cover with a lid, and reduce to a simmer. Cook til the chicken and veggies are done (around 40 minutes more or less.)
With a large slotted spoon, remove the chicken to a plate to cool. Put the vegetables into a blender. Carefully (so as not burn yourself) pour the stock through a strainer into a large bowl to remove any remaining bits of skin and bone. Put the broth back in the pot–less 1 cup. At this point taste the broth for seasoning and add salt if necessary. Turn the heat to medium low.
Add the extra cup of broth to the veggies in the blender and put on the lid.
Cover the blender lid with a towel (so the hot liquid won’t burn you if it bubbles over) and blend on ”puree” first, and then “liquify” until very smooth. This will take a minute or so. Set aside for now.
IT’S TIME TO MAKE THE DUMPLINGS!
Before we go any further I have to make an announcement. I like lotsa dumplings. If you don’t, you can cut the dumpling recipe back by 1/3 or even 1/2.
Sift together 4 cups flour, 1/2 tsp of salt, 4 tsp baking powder, and 2 tsp packed lt. brown sugar.
Slice the butter into pieces and cut into the flour with a pastry blender til the mixture resembles cornmeal.
I usually start with the pastry blender…..and finish with my fingers. Dare I admit this? Yes, I do dare. The buttery dough feels kind of good when I squish it between my fingers.
(Whatever rings your chimes, I say  )
Add 1 1/3 c. whole milk to the dry ingredients, and stir with a large spoon til the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (You can add a little more liquid if you need to) Gather the dough into a loose ball and put on a heavily floured surface.
At this point turn the heat up under the broth so that it will come to a boil.
Roll the dough out about 1/4″ thick–less if you like skinny dumplings. Me? I like mine on the plump side.
With a butter knife, cut the dough into 1″ to 1 1/2″ strips. Then cut the strips into squares.
Put the squares into a large bowl, breaking apart any dumplings that are sticking together. Sprinkle generously with flour. I usually just brush the flour on my cutting board into the bowl.
Toss lightly to coat. Notice how the dumplings have already started to rise a bit thanks to the baking powder?
Stir the dumplings into the boiling broth. Cover with a lid and turn the heat down to simmer. Allow to cook for 20 minutes.
While that’s cooking, remove the bones and any remaining skin from the cooled chicken and tear into small pieces or shreds.
After 20 minutes remove the lid and admire your fat succulent little dumplings floating at the top of your pot.
Then pull yourself together and stir in the pureed vegetables and a can of evaporated milk. Next dump the shredded chicken into the pot.
Stir the chicken into the broth, grate a bunch of pepper on top, and let it all simmer together while you smear a loaf of french bread cut in half with a mix of butter, olive oil, and fresh minced garlic nuked til it’s all melt-y in the microwave. Sprinkle a generous amount of shredded cheese (can be cheddar, mozzarella, or parmesan) on top. Stick the bread under the broiler until the cheese is melted.
This magnificent pot of chicken and dumplings can be served one of two ways.
The SANE way–Ladle into oversized soup bowls and served with cheese bread on the side.
Or the INSANE way–Put a big dollop of MASHED POTATOES in an oversized bowl, and ladle the soup on top. (no that wasn’t a typo! It’s awesome good and the best carb rush you’ll ever experience!) Serve with cheese bread on the side.
You COULD add a wholesome salad to the mix if you wanted to, but– really? Why would you want to? Wouldn’t you rather just have a second bowl of dumplings?
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CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
Chicken Broth
1 whole chicken
6 chicken thighs
88 ounces Swanson chicken broth, regular or low sodium (one 48 ounce box plus 2 16 ounce cans)
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 sticks celery, coarsely chopped
1 large or 2 small/medium onions cut in half
6 cloves of minced garlic (more or less to taste)
1 can evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste
Dumplings
4 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp packed brown sugar
4 T. cold butter
1 1/3 cup whole milk
Skin the chicken and put in a large stock pot. Completely cover the chicken with broth and add cut-up vegetables and garlic. Bring liquid to a boil, clamp on a lid, and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook until chicken and vegetables are done. (about 40 minutes or so)
Remove the chicken to a platter to cool, and put the cooked vegetables into a blender. Strain the stock to remove any bones or bits of skin and return all but 1 cup to the stock pot. Taste the broth for seasoning and add salt if necessary. Turn the heat to medium.
Put the reserved cup of liquid into the blender with the vegetables. Blend the veggies on “puree” first and then “liquify” until very smooth. Set aside.
Turn the heat up under the broth so it will come to a boil while you make the dumplings.
Dumplings
Sift the dry ingredients together. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or your hands til it resembles cornmeal. Make a well in the center and add the milk all at once. Stir til the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Gather the dough into a ball and put on a heavily floured surface. Roll out to approximately 1/4″ thick. (1/8″ if you like thinner dumplings). Cut into 1″ to 1 1/2″ strips. Cut the strips into squares. Put the dumplings in a large bowl and sprinkle with flour. (Use the flour you rolled the dough out on) Toss lightly to coat.
Add the dumplings to the boiling broth. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook 20 minutes.
While the dumplings cook, tear or shred the chicken into small pieces.
After 20 minutes, remove the lid and stir in the vegetable puree, the evaporated milk, and the shredded chicken. Taste the broth and add more salt if necessary along with a generous amount of fresh ground black pepper. Let it barely simmer while you make the bread.
CHEESE BREAD
loaf of good french bread
1/4 c. salted butter
1/4 c. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
freshly grated black pepper
3/4 c. shredded cheese, (cheddar, mozzarella or parmesan)
Put in a bowl and microwave til melted. Brush the mixture onthe cut halves of the french bread. Sprinkle with pepper. Add cheese and broil til cheese is melted. Cut into serving pieces and serve with soup.
Turn off the heat and ladle the chicken into bowls. Serve with the cheese bread.
The wedding is 5 months away and the plans are falling into place for our middle son David and his fiance Teresa’s Tuscan themed garden wedding.
The bridesmaids have been chosen–her sister will be matron of honor. Her sister-in-law, and future sister-in-law will be bridesmaids. David’s best friend is best man. He’ll be sharing that title with Dave’s future 6 year old son. The groomsmen are Dave’s 2 brothers.
Teresa, 2 of her bridesmaids, her mother, and moi took a road trip last week to Dallas to begin the process of choosing the wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses. The trip was a huge success–the bridesmaids dresses have been chosen and looked terrific on both girls. The color they picked was chocolate for the dress, and each girl picked a different color for the ribbon– a turquoise blue, medium pink, and kiwi green. Those will also be the wedding colors.
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Teresa narrowed her dress choices down to 3.
Dress 1
 
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Dress 2 
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Dress 3
 
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The 2nd and 3rd dresses were Ivory but I couldn’t find photos in that color. All three dresses were absolutely stunning on my 6′ tall size 8 future daughter-in-law. If she weren’t going to be related to me soon, I think I could hate her! (Why? Cuz’ I’m 5′4″–Yep, I feel like a squatty midget next to her.) Every dress the girl tried on looked fabulous other than most of them were too short!
We came home thinking she had chosen THE dress, but after a sleepless night, and a trip back to Dallas by herself, she decided on a different one.
Which one?
Welllll————————————————-
she chose———————————————-
DRUMROLL, PLEASE!!
ratatatatatatatatatat tat………
she chose——-
one of the three pictured above!!!!
Seriously? Did you really think I would spill the beans? You’ll have to wait til the wedding to see which dress she’ll be wearing!
recipe rated: EASY*
I think most families have a stash of beloved holiday recipes that have been passed down through generations of mothers to daughters (or sons). Of course, everyone thinks their own geneological treasure trove of culinary button-poppers (people used real butter back in the day-and LARD) are the best of the best. But, I say these people are delusional. Their family recipes simply can’t be the best, because (and I’m speaking frankly here) MINE are. LOL
Seriously though, mine really are the best…..They’re so good I’m gonna prove it to you and (gasp) share them! (My gran-ma-ma will no doubt be twirling in her grave! Literally! She was a majorette in the Fox Den High School Band, dontcha know, and she never passed an opportunity to demonstrate her considerable twirling talents–never mind that she’d traded in her baton for a cane decades before!)
Anyway, thanks to my twirling granny and her granny before her, our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners are, for the most part, set in stone when it comes to menu-planning. They are also virtually identical–it’s turkey and dressing all the way with my bunch, baby! Oh sure, we add a new recipe here and there as our sons get married and their wives have the gall to try and mix in a few of their own family recipes. I’m just kidding! We welcome their family receipts with an open mind, and a few of them actually make it to our holiday table. (after a double-audition and proof of authenticity!) But, in general, the menu deviates rarely. If it did, I’m convinced I’d be stoned in my herb garden for blasphemy by my mother.
I’m gonna start with our all time favorite and the only exception to the “twice-a-year” rule*–Yeast rolls (actually, these are kind of a cross between a roll and a biscuit.) and work my way up to the piece d’resistance– turkey and dressing.
*twice-a-year rule: The promise to serve these recipes only twice a year at Thanksgiving and Christmas — no matter how much you crave giblet gravy while you are pregnant in July. The promise is signed in blood and then and only then are you handed the key to the rusty padlocked strongbox where the recipes are kept.
These rolls, like most good older recipes, use simple ingredients. They are Beginner Easy (See definition link at the top of this page under RECIPE RATINGS), pretty much fool-proof, and so good that I have to triple the recipe in order to have enough for leftovers!
First off, heat 1 c. buttermilk, 1/2 c. shortening, 1 tsp. sugar, and 1 tsp salt til lukewarm. (when the shortening starts melting, turn the heat off, but leave the pan on the burner and stir til it dissolves) Put about 1/3 c. very warm water in a small bowl and sprinkle 1 packet quick-rise yeast over the top. Let it sit a few minutes to let the yeast soften up.
Sift 2 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 tsp soda together into a large bowl. Stir the yeast into the buttermilk mixture and combine with the flour/soda mix.
Stir til completely mixed. It will be very sticky.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap that is sprayed with Pam. Let rise 30 minutes or til doubled in size in a warm place. I usually stick them in the oven with the oven-light on.
Grease a 10″ round cake pan or pie tin or whatever you want to use. With greased hands make a dozen rolls and put into the pan. Cover lightly with saran wrap sprayed with Pam and let rise for another 30 minutes in a warm place.
After they’ve risen, gently brush melted butter over the tops of the dough with a soft pastry brush (I use about 1/4 stick of melted butter and yes, I mean real honest to God salted buttah!)
Bake at 425 degrees about 15-20 til golden brown. Immediately after removing from oven, brush the tops with another 1/4 stick melted butter. No, I’m not kidding, and I’d show ya how I then split the pipin’ hot baked rolls in half and slathered their innards with more butter but……
………..These were snatched and gone before I could say “clogged arteries are a heart attack waiting to happen.” And, saving you a bite wasn’t even open for argument. Sorry!
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My Momma’s Really Easy, Really Good Yeasty Biscuity Rolls
I rate this recipe Beginner Easy! (see definition link at the top of this page under RECIPE RATINGS)
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. shortening
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/3 c. warm water
1 packet quick-rise yeast
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 stick salted butter
Heat the buttermilk, salt, sugar and shortening until lukewarm. (let the shortening melt)
dissolve the yeast in the 1/3 c. warm water and combine with the buttermilk mixture.
Sift the flour and soda together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, and pour in the liquid ingredients. Stir with a large spoon until combined. (It will be very sticky) Cover with saran wrap sprayed with Pam and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or til doubled in size. (I stick it in the oven with the oven light on.)
With greased hands form the dough into balls and place in a pan that has also been greased or sprayed with Pam.
Lightly cover the pan with saran wrap sprayed with Pam and return to your warm place for 30 more minutes or til doubled in size.
Gently remove the saran wrap and carefully brush the tops of the dough with about 1/4 c. melted butter (more or less–just make sure each roll has some butter)
Bake in a hot oven (425) for 15 to 20 minutes or til golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately brush another 1/4 c. melted butter over the tops.
Serve with lots more butter. (and honey if desired)
makes about a dozen good sized rolls.
On Hallowe’en the thing you must do
Is pretend that nothing can frighten you
And if somethin’ scares you and you want to run
Just let on like it’s Hallowe’en fun.
~Author Unknown
Recipe Rated: EASY*
Fall is definitely in the air in my neck of the woods and to me, that means a crackling wood fire and the aroma of Cinnamon Apple Crisp wafting through the house. It’s one of my autumn rituals. I only make it once a year on a crisp sunny day in October. Don’t ask me why, cuz’ I don’t know why. It is what it is, and that’s just what I do. My kids know I only make it once a year in October, and they all start watching the weather channel around the 5th looking for the first 65 degree day. Yep, they love apple crisp almost as much as I do.
So, today was the day. I made the apple crisp, and hubby built the fire. We all sat around the hearth warming our cockles (does anyone know what a cockle is?) eating our apple crisp buried under mounds of creamy vanilla ice cream. This year was particularly exciting because our 16 month old grandson got his very first taste of the crunchy, juicy, bubbly sweetness. He was not disappointed. As a matter of fact, he took his first bite and giggled which cracked us all up. It’s good to laugh when eating apple crisp.
I can tell you truthfully–If I die tonight, I will die a happy girl.
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A few tips to make your apple crisp even more delicious.
1. The best Apple Crisp is always made in the Fall. Why? Because that’s when the apples are best, silly!
2. Use a mixture of apples for the most exquisite taste. I like a mix of 1/2 Granny Smith, 1/4 Macintosh, and 1/4 Gala for a good mix of tart and sweet. I always use at least 1/2 Granny Smith cuz’ they are so juicy and tart.
 Granny Smith
 Macintosh  Gala
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5. For extra crunchy toppings use regular cooking oats.
6. For added flavor add 1/2-1 cups chopped pecans to the topping.
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APPLE CRISP
Start with 5 cups sliced apples (4-5 medium whole apples) If only using one variety of apple, Granny Smith works well.
peel em’, core em’, and slice em’ about 1/4″ or less thick
Put 2/3 cups sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, and 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix with a wire whisk.
Add the sliced apples and combine thoroughly before transferring to a 13 x 9 baking dish. Sprinkle any leftover sugar mix over the apples. MMMMM. Don’tcha wish your smeller could reach through your computer bout’ now?
Put 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, 1 3/4 cups flour, and 2 cups oats in the bowl you just mixed your apples in. This is where you would add the chopped pecans if you were so inclined. Mix with 1 cup melted butter til crumbly. Spread over the apples.
Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until apples are fork tender and bubbly, and the top is a crunchy brown. (Is crunchy brown a color?)
Just look at all the pretty colors the different varieties of cooked apples made! Serve warm….
With a big scoop of ice cream. (the full bodied kind–no light, no ice-milk, and no sugar free allowed!)
And don’t give a second thought to the fact you have to lose 10 lbs by Friday for your 30 year class reunion. You didn’t want to go anyway.
Apple Crisp
Ingredients
5 c. sliced apples, (4-5 medium apples)
2/3 c sugar
3 T flour
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
1 ½ c lt. or dk. brown sugar
1 ¾ c flour
2 c quick or regular oats
1 c butter, melted
1/2-1 c. chopped pecans, (optional)
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Directions
In a large bowl, mix together 2/3 c sugar, 3 T flour and cinnamon. Add sliced apples and mix well. Transfer to 13 x 9 baking dish.
In the same bowl, mix together 1 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1 3/4 c. flour and 2 c. oats. Add 1 cup melted butter and mix til crumbly. Sprinkle over apples in baking dish. Dish will be very full. Bake at 350 for 50-60 min. or til apples are tender and bubbly, and topping is browned. Serve warm with ice cream.
Serves 10 (or 6 if you and your family are pigs like mine)
Sometimes I double this recipe and use a 15×11 glass baking dish for the above reason.
Recipe Rated: INTERMEDIATE*
The summer squash is STILL producing. I swear, if I have to look another squash in the face this year I’ll scream!
Here’s another good recipe if you’re having my problem and have waaayyy to much squash. So far I’ve frozen 4 batches (8 loaves) of this one. It’s really really good with a cup o’ joe!
First shred 2 cups of squash and set aside. (Yep, this is the same picture of shredded squash I used for the lime squash muffins–so shoot me!)
Next put 2–1 oz squares baking chocolate–I used semi-sweet–in a microwave safe bowl.
Nuke it til it is melted and creamy, stirring occassionally.
In a big mixing bowl combine 3 eggs, 2 cups sugar, 1/2 c. vegetable oil, 1 mashed banana plus enough light sour cream to make 1/2 c., 1 tsp vanilla, the melted chocolate, and the summer squash.
In another bowl, dump 2 c. all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Combine well with a wire whisk.
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to blend. Mix in 3/4 c. chocolate chips.
Pour into 2 loaf pans sprayed with Pam.
Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Spread each slice with real butter and serve with a big glass of cold milk or cup of hot coffee and try not to eat a whole loaf in one sitting!
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BANANA SUMMER SQUASH BREAD
2 1 oz squares baking chocolate
3 eggs
2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 c. grated summer squash
1 ripe banana
add enough lt. sour cream to the banana to make 1/2 c
1 tsp vanilla
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans.
In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate until melted. Stir occasionally until chocolate is smooth.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, banana, sour cream, grated summer squash, vanilla and chocolate; beat well.
Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon with a wire whisk.
Add to the wet ingredients and stir to blend.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.
This freezes well.
Recipe Rating: INTERMEDIATE*
I knew I would try this recipe the minute Hilde posted it. I’d never made anything like it before, and rolling a pickle up inside a slab of beef slathered in brown mustard was too intriguing to just tuck away in a recipe file never to be seen again. I had to make it and the sooner the better.
I was not disappointed. It was delicious and an added bonus was the gravy. It was the best gravy I’ve ever tasted hands down! Did I ever tell you guys that I’m from Oklahoma? Well, Okies are gravy connoisseurs, and I’m no exception. Give me a bowl of gravy and a couple of buttermilk biscuits or one or two slices of Wonder bread to sop it up with and I’ll give you a happy woman. Ok, a happy FAT woman if I allowed myself to indulge as much as I’d like.
So here goes—Hilde, I hope I did it justice!! Be kind when you critic me! I’ve never done a roll-up before.
First off buy some really skinny beef. The skinniest you can find. My local Walmart had some packages of top round steak that I thought would fit the bill.
You’ll also need to gather up some spicy brown mustard, some dill pickles, (I used kosher dills and bought the sandwich sliced variety cuz’ I’m a lazy cuss– but you could also get whole pickles and slice them in half), and some beef broth. (I used canned because, well, I’m a lazy cuss and it’s just way to much trouble to make my own)
Next, put one of the steaks on a cutting board, sprinkle with salt and pepper, get yourself a meat pounder–technical name, meat “tenderizer”. I do a few light whacks with the toothy side, switch to the flat end—
– and BEAT THE SNOT OUTTA THAT LITTLE SUCKER!–but be careful not to lose complete control and tear a hole in it. Despite the violence, it’s a delicate operation.
Added plus: besides spreading the steak out and making it easier to roll, the beating does really help tenderize an otherwise “chewy” cut of meat. If you don’t have one of these handy little kitchen gadgets–grab your husband’s hammer. (just make sure it’s clean)
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 Before the beatings  After the beatings —————————————————————————–
Smear some of the brown mustard on one side of the meat, and lay a strip of raw bacon lengthwise on top of the mustard. Sprinkle on some chopped raw onions, and lay one of the pickle slices across one end. It doesn’t matter if the pickle hangs over a little.
 
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Now here’s the tricky part. Starting at the pickle end, roll it all up as tightly as you can and secure it with a toothpick or two- or ten.
Douse each roll up with flour and brown in vegetable shortening in the bottom of a heavy dutch oven or casserole. I used a hot skillet and scraped the dredges into my dutch oven. I did this because I paid a lot of money for my dutch oven, and I make a real effort to treat it like it was lined in gold. Either way, the roll-ups should end up in the bottom of your baking pan.
Here’s an ah ha! moment. If they all fit in your heavy skillet, you could just cover em’ with it’s matching lid or even heavy foil and transfer it to the oven. WISH I’D THOUGHT OF THAT EARLIER! (mine’s old fashioned iron, BTW. It’s impossible to kill it.–I’ve had this one for over 20 years and it’s still good as new)
 
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Pour the beef broth over them. I know, they look kind of ugly right now, but just wait! Plus, I probably didn’t get them brown enough. Thank God it didn’t matter in the end–they were still wonderful.
Put on the lid and cook for an hour or so at 325 degrees.
Remove the roll ups and keep warm while you make the gravy. Stir 3 heaping T. flour into a little cold water and whisk into the liquid in the pan. (tip: To avoid lumps, pour the stirred flour water into the liquid through a mesh strainer.) Wincing the whole while, I gave in and sat my beloved dutch oven on the stove and let the gravy come to a boil. (Remember, I’m a lazy cuss, and I’d already washed my skillet and obviously was too stupid to leave my roll ups in old iron-sides in the first place)
Anyhoo, put whatever pot your beefy little bundles were once in on the stove top. Lower the heat and stir while you simmer for 2 or 3 minutes to cook the flour and thicken the broth. Put the roll ups back into the pot. Coat them real good with the gravy.
And speaking of gravy, just look at it. Now, that’s a thing of beauty. I’m salivating at the picture. The pickles and mustard melded with the beef broth and onions in such an exquisite way that I just don’t have the words to describe the taste–the color–the aroma….Oh, the aroma! Just trust me when I simply say, IT WAS GOOD!
I served it up with Hilde’s suggestions for sides—mashed potatoes and sweet and sour cabbage. (the recipe I found for the cabbage was delicious as well–It had apples and bacon and red cabbage and I could have made a meal just of that. Of course, that’s another post.)
Top it off with a German beer–a little polka music in the background for ambience–you’ll swear you were in the heart of Bavaria!
Here’s your bite! (And don’t forget to slather them taters in the gravy!!!
Below is Hilde’s actual recipe for those that want some precise ingredients. I took some more of her advice and doubled it for my family and they wiped it out. My husband put it on his list of top 5 favorite meals of all time. THANKS HILDE FOR SHARING!!
HILDE”S BEEF ROLL UPS
(Rinds Rouladen)
Ingredrients:
4 Breakfast Steaks (thin sliced Steaks)
Salt and Pepper
Mustard (spicy brown)
1 med. Onion
4 Slices of Bacon
2 Dill Pickles (cut in Half lengthwise)
3 Tablespoons Flour
1 1/2 – 2 cups
Beef Broth
Beat Steaks until thin if needed, sprinkle with Salt and Pepper and spread Mustard on one Side.
Lay a Slice of Bacon on Top of the Mustard on each Steak, sprinkle with chopped Onions,
place a Half of Pickle at one End of the Steak and roll it.
Tie the Ends of the Steak together with a Piece of Threat or use Toothpicks to hold the Steak Roll together.
Melt Shortening in a roasting Pan,coat Rolls with Flour,
brown all Sides of the Steak Rolls.
Add Beef Broth, cover and cook in a preheated Oven at 325 for one Hour.
Thicken the Sauce with Flour or roux and season with Salt and Pepper.
This Recipe can also be made on Stove Top, just cook covered on low about 1-1/2 Hrs.
This tastes good with Mashed Potatoes and Purple sweet and sour Cabbage
Guten Appetit!
P.S. I double the Recipe, four Roll Ups wouldn’t be enough for my Family 
Recipe Rated: GOURMET EASY* (requires a few odd-ball ingredients)
Last year all 6 of our squash plants died leaving us seriously deprived of one of our favorite summer veggies. This year my husband planted 15 of those suckers. He was determined not to go without again.
Need I even say that the summer squash in this year’s garden is producing “abundantly”? It is, and that could be the understatement of the year! I have yellow squash coming out my ears! I’ve fried it, boiled, baked it, mixed it into other dishes, eaten it raw, and given it away to the point that friends and relatives run the other way when they see me coming. Now, in desperation, I am on a mission to find the most wonderful squash bread/cake/muffin recipe in the world, because I have enough of it to feed the world. Plus, squash bread is freezable.
 I found this recipe on the internet. It included a photo of the cutest little muffins I’ve ever seen, and of course I couldn’t resist trying to duplicate them. And, with a few tiny little tweaks, I did! (Well, maybe a few big tweaks) It called for almond flour and I couldn’t find any at my local Walmart. (Imagine that!) Why I decided to substitute soy flour is a mystery to me other than it had a similar texture, and the store had some on the shelf. I got home and found the lemons I thought I had were limes—so I substituted limes. Then, I realized I didn’t have any buttermilk–only 1% milk. I attempted to use my Granny’s tried and true method of adding vinegar to the milk to curdle it, but alas, 1% milk doesn’t curdle very well. That’s when I got the hair-brained idea to add the vinegar to a can of evaporated milk I found in the pantry. It didn’t curdle well either, but it didn’t turn gray like the 1%, so that’s what I used. Oh, and it called for an 18 tin mini-muffin pan and I only had a 24 tin mini-mini muffin pan. Other than that–it was the exact same recipe….
Except that I changed the name too. The original was Mini Summer Squash Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze. I’m fairly certain that the original cupcakes are terrific and I included the true ingredients next to my substitutions if you wanna try them— but honestly, I don’t think they could possibly be any better than my cobbled together concoction. My Lime-Kissed Tea Cakes were melt in your mouth delicious and frankly, I thought my name sounded more romantic–so romantic that I may even add them to Dave and Teresa’s garden wedding menu!
First, mix 1/2 c. flour, 2 T. soy flour, and 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and a pinch of salt together with a wire whisk in a small bowl.
Next, grate 1 T. plus 1/2 tsp lime zest.
In a separate bowl, mix 4 T. room temperature butter with 1/3 c. sugar using a hand mixer. Add in 1 egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 tsp. of the lime zest and mix well. (Save the rest of the zest for later)
Alternate adding the flour mix and buttermilk (mixing well after each addition) into the sugar mixture til it’s gone. (I did half and half)
In a food processor, shred 3/4 cup yellow squash.
Wrap the squash in paper towels and squeeze out the excess moisture before stirring it into the batter.
Spray a mini muffin pan that holds 18 (or 24) tea cakes with Pam, and fill them almost to the top with the batter.
Put in a 350 degree oven for approximately 20 min. ( a little longer if you have an 18 tin pan)
or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from oven, run a knife around the edge of each lil cake and let cool for 10 min. before removing from the pan and placing on a pretty dish worthy of their name.
Mix 1-2 T. fresh squeezed lime juice with 3/4 c. sifted confectioner’s sugar. (to a drizzling consistency) This smells so darn good you’ll need a napkin for the drool you’ll be drizzling out the side of your mouth.
Drizzle the icing in an artistic fashion onto the tea cakes, and sprinkle the reserved 1 T. of lime zest over the tops.
I so wish you could smell these babies. From miles away my family sniffed and followed their noses to my kitchen. There was a traffic jam in the doorway, I kid you not!
Just look at this little guy! Isn’t he just too cute to eat??
Dontcha just wanna take a bite anyway?
They didn’t last 5 minutes.
I’d call that a success! Try them–they’re light, they melt in your mouth, and are a perfect summer treat.
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SUMMER SQUASH LIME-KISSED TEA CAKES
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. soy flour (or almond flour)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature (oops! I used salted and it was fine)
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 T. plus 1/2 tsp. grated lime zest (or lemon zest)
6 Tbsp. buttermilk
3/4 cup finely shredded yellow squash
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 – 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice (or lemon juice)
Mix flour, soy flour, baking powder and pinch of salt in small bowl with wire whisk.
In separate larger bowl mix 4 T. room-temperature butter with 1/3 c. sugar using a hand mixer. Add 1 large egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 tsp grated lime zest and mix well.
Alternate adding flour mix and buttermilk to the sugar mixture til well blended.
Hand stir in the 3/4 c. finely shredded yellow squash and put into an 18 tin mini-muffin pan that has been sprayed lightly with Pam.
Cook at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes til toothpick inserted into center of muffins come out clean.
Run a knife around each muffin and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to serving platter.
Mix 1-2 T. lime juice into 3/4 c. sifted confectiioner’s sugar to a thin consistency and drizzle onto muffins. Sprinkle the remaining lime zest on top.
Makes 18 little tea cakes or 24 little-er tea cakes
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and some not so hard work…..
The garden looked awesome,
and the flowers were gorgeous.
The music was great. Thanks, Rusty Lemmon for coming from Nashville to sing at the wedding!
His perspective gave us some stunning photos and were an awesome wedding gift.
The wedding itself was enchanting,
and the reception rocked.
A good time was had by all.
