Beefy Hash Brown Pizza 11/13/14

First I will mention a golden wedding anniversary celebration near Warsaw, Indiana for my niece and her husband. These parties are always a delight to attend. The downside of it is that it makes me realize my age. My kids retiring, the next generation celebrating fifty years of marriage, great grandkids starting school.  Guess God has been good to me to allow me to experience all of this. Congratulations to Jean and Clarence and best wishes for many more.

Well, I am sad to report that my birthday magic has declined to a standstill.  A hearty thank you to all that contributed in any way to make it the fantastic magic event that it turned out to be. I can’t express in words the feelings I experienced from the “Happy Birthday” greetings on the street, hugs in church, many, many birthday cards, all of the hard work, planning and expense from my family for the reception and those of you who took the time and effort to attend. It will be the source of many great and magic memories. Now back to the real world!

This morning I attended the benefit brunch for my nephew’s grandson who is a patient at Riley Hospital. The food was abundant and delicious and of course I had to try it all. I came home to spend a quiet day, avoiding the temptation to stop at the Methodist Church for their soup and pie luncheon. The full feeling, besides the picture of a half of an apple pie on my kitchen counter, made me turn in at my own driveway.

In the middle of the afternoon, I was still not hungry, but my thoughts again returned to food. My guilty conscience would allow some things that were already sitting silently in my refrigerator. First I tried a cold dish of tapioca pudding. Not nearly as good as the warm one I had eaten before. Okay, I will try to finish the left over from Friday cottage cheese that I really like mixed generously with lime Jello and pears with the juice of the pears used as the cold water. That was better than the cold pudding but left me with a full stomach but still a hankering for something more substantial and hot.To fill that need, I got out my old, old Taste of Home Cookbook and found 2 main dishes I think you will like to try.  I am doing this much earlier than usual hoping that reading and mentally savoring the entrees will get me past bedtime. I would hate to have to go make me a 3 egg omelet!

BEEFY HASH BROWN PIZZA

5 cups Frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

1 can (10 ¾  oz.) cheddar cheese soup, undiluted

1 egg, slightly beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

2 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can, 4 oz.) mushroom slices and pieces, drained

1 can (15 oz.) pizza sauce

4 cups (16 oz. )  shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Combine potatoes, soup, egg, salt and pepper. Spread mixture into a greased 15 in x 10 inch baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Meanwhile, cook the beef, onion, and mushrooms until the meat is no longer pink. Stir the pizza sauce. Keep warm. Sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese over hot potato mixture. Spread meat mixture over the top, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake5 to 10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

  

At the benefit brunch the pancake detail had it right on this morning. My memories of those brought my attention to this recipe because I am partial to Golden delicious apples. Add them to pancakes and they would have to be good.

      

BAKED APPLE PANCAKES

1 cup pancake mix

2/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

¼ cup butter

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 medium Golden Delicious apple, peeled and sliced

Maple syrup

Combine pancake mix, milk ,oil and egg. In an ovenproof skillet, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and apple slices. Saute until sugar is dissolved. Pour batter over apple mixture. Cook, uncovered, at 350 degrees. For 12 minutes. Invert onto serving platter. Serve with syrup.

Guess I will finish my cottage cheese and go to bed early to control my cravings.

Much Magic 5/29/14

What a fantastic magic moment filled week! Not sure I can work them all in, but I will try to give them the credit due. That is almost as frustrating as the weeks I have to look under the rug to come up with an idea. So, I will start with the first one to appear on my horizon. I have a computer friend whom I have never met who lives in Oslo, Norway.  We have a strange connection. Her grandfather was engaged to my aunt when I was in grade school.  They were class mates and he came back from the East Coast for class reunions.  Siri Anne came with her grandfather to one. During my aunt’s illness, life in a nursing home for some time, they lost contact.  My aunt had sent her one of my columns I had written about the death of one of my brothers. She used this to contact me through The Earth, and we have been email friends ever since. I send her my column and I got a response from her last week that made my day! My cabbage and noodle recipe which I had not presented in a favorable light  sounded good to her, because cabbage is cheap and has a wonderful taste.  She was impressed with the fact that I was using it as a “penance” process.  She does a remarkable job corresponding with me because English is not her “first” language. My niece in Pennsylvania also thought the recipe had favorable possibilities.  I was going to try it this weekend but cabbage was 79 cents a pound and I was afraid that I might not like it and it would end up in my disposal. Let’s wait until the gardens have an oversupply of it.

My weekend was so filled with magical moments that included the graduation party of my first great granddaughter. Doesn’t seem possible that we are going to have to send her out into this big world already. Seems as if it were only recently that we were welcoming her into our family! So congratulations to you, Hannah, and to the rest of your classmates for all of your accomplishments and prayers for a great future for each and every one of you.

Another great experience was attending the wedding of my granddaughter and her best friend, in a very soul touching ceremony in Decatur. I am very proud of you as a couple and part of our family, Brittany and Danny. May a prosperous life and good memories of a fantastic day fill the years ahead.

Sunday was filled with church liturgy in the morning, graduation services in the afternoon, followed by another graduation party. Good food and contact with a lot of people that I do not ordinarily see. A magic moment was when one lady whom I have not seen for years and I was slow in recognizing said, “Oh I knew you when I first came.  You have not changed a bit”!   Should I believe her?  I think I will.

After all of the food at graduation parties, it is difficult to come up with something to interest you. Something that I had almost forgotten about and tried last week for myself was one that is about the second one in my cook book. But since that is over twenty years ago, I am certain that a lot of you are not familiar with it. It is quite simple and used only ordinary things that you probably have in your kitchen. That is why I tried it.  You can vary the ingredients to suit your taste and your family’s preferences. Here is how I did it. My sister gave me the idea which came from her daughter-in-law.

                        

STUFF

! pound ground beef

3 potatoes, sliced, about 2 cups

3 large carrots, sliced

1 can cream of mushroom soup

½ to 1 soup  can of water

Velveeta cheese

I used a heavy Club Aluminum Dutch oven. Press ground beef in the bottom of the pan. Cover with a layer of potatoes, then a layer of carrots. Add water to soup, then cover vegetables.  Do not stir.  Place on burner with medium heat, cover and cook until vegetables are tender. Cover with slices of cheese. Heat until cheese melts.  The next time I make it I think I will add a bit of onion. I limit my salt intake so I think you  will want to add some according to your taste. Here is an idea that caught my attention in the extra “stuff” in the Sunday paper.  Has good possibilities, but I never purchase Grape Nuts, so will have to add it to my grocery list before I try it.

           

GRAPE-NUTS PUDDING

6 large eggs

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups whole milk

Grape-Nuts cereal

Butter a 2 quart baking dish. Slightly cover bottom of dish with Grape-Nuts. Whisk eggs, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Add milk. Pour over cereal. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until mostly set but jiggly in middle. Serve with whipped cream.

Sweet Potato Pancakes and Onion Casserole 3/6/14

Special moments in our lives seem to be made of more magic when they appear out of the normal patterns of your life. Recently when I was having a rather dull day, (living with just me is not very exciting)  the front door bell rang. There stood a young lady with a package in her hand.  My thoughts were “Now what is she selling?” She quickly told me that I probably did not know her but she was one of my best fans who had been reading MAGIC MOMENTS for over ten years!! Further conversation revealed that she knew several of my kids and I knew her grandparents very well and am a speaking acquaintance of her mother.  In her package she was bringing me a sample of her version of my Ranger Cookie recipe!  She had made them for her father and had omitted the chocolate chips and the nuts because he did not like them in cookies.  They were successful enough that he told her to throw out the recipe for the ones she had been making for him. You never know how much you can brighten a day for someone else by a seemingly small kindness. 

Another bit of magic was found in a phone call asking if I were going to be home and could she stop by.  She brought me an almost new, beautiful sweater that she had bought and almost never worn, allowing me to gracefully refuse it if it were not to my liking. It is much nicer than any I have seen in my few shopping trips lately. I have better luck at garage sales!  If I were younger I would start a business where I made clothes that were becoming to OLDER ladies who wanted to look respectable! I told one clerk that the dresses they had I would not take home if they were free!  That reminds me, I have a grandson getting married and still do not have a satisfactory dress to wear. Don’t think my newly acquired sweater will do the trick.

Life is still beating my family up with a lot of questions, serious tests, and surgeries scheduled, so once again I will put them all in God’s hands and turn my thoughts to food.

Do you like sweet potatoes?  I usually just boil them super tender, mash them up and put lots of butter on them, so I was tempted by a new recipe I saw for pancakes. Maybe I am a bit weird in my food preferences.  I thought I heard a chorus of strong “Amens” but I just turned up the volume on the TV and it went away so I will proceed with my recipe.

      

SWEET POTATO PANCAKES

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 medium apple

2 eggs beaten

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons flour

¼ cup vegetable oil

Peel and grate potatoes. Core and shred unpeeled apples. Drain any liquid. Combine eggs, salt, sugar, cinnamon and flour. Add to the potato and apple mixture. Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Place portions of ¼ cup of mixture into the hot oil. Flatten with spatula. Cook 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Serve immediately with syrup  of your choice and chopped pecans if desired.

Need a new idea for a vegetable side dish? How about an onion casserole? Sounds good to me.

     

VIDALIA ONION CASSEROLE

I stick butter

4 large Vidalia onions

24 snack crackers

½ cup grated cheese of your choice

Chopped parsley

Melt butter in skillet. Saute peeled, halved, sliced onions for about 10 minutes. Layer half of the onions into a 3 quart casserole dish. Cover with half of the crushed crackers and half of the cheese. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with parsley. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Hope you enjoyed the weekend snow more than I did.

Cabin Fever 2/6/14

Do you know a good remedy for cabin fever?  I experienced one today.  After being housebound for over a week (except a necessary trip down town on Wednesday), I experienced a fabulous day today (Sunday).  It was a debatable decision if I should venture out in the forecast weather for the day. The decision was on hold until 25 minutes before church time. I was prepared to go but was waiting on the opinion of my daughter and son-in-law.  After the freezing temperature and the damp weather, the conditions were not the best but they came after me. After church services we attended the breakfast in the church basement that was a fund raiser for the youth of our parish who will be attending work camp this summer. So far the day was progressing famously.  We were informed to not try to go home and just go straight to my sister’s home where there would be a potluck dinner to celebrate my sister’s 86^th birthday and we were excused from bringing any food.  There are a few advantages of advanced age! 

The house was as full of kids, grandkids, and greats as it was full of food. A very pleasant experience and my sister-in-law and I felt blessed to be included, especially since we both had been trying to avoid a severe case of cabin fever these last few weeks.

As it is well known, all good things do come to an end and it was back to solitary confinement again.  I settled in my recliner with the Sunday newspaper with no intention of napping, when from a distance, I thought I heard a voice “Max, Max, Max”!  I opened one eye and saw a vaguely familiar figure in my dining room. A Home Extension Club member from Garrett was meeting her two kids from Defiance to exchange some necessities and she suggested meeting at the C-Store in Edgerton, so she could stop in to see me! What an enjoyable and uplifting surprise and a sure cure for cabin fever.

Saturday was a very special day, too.  My son from Decatur called to see if I was going to be home and he would be here at three. My daughter from across the street noticed his car was here and wanted to see him, so she came over. Another daughter had gone by and she called because she had a book she wanted to give to him. Another daughter and son-in-law stopped in to see about my intentions for Sunday. At five thirty Keith said, “Is anyone hungry?”  I told them I had a small dish of goulash that I could warm up!!  That brought the brilliant idea, “Let’s go to Rita’s”!  I think I was the first one who had my coat and boots on. Spontaneous events create a much more special atmosphere than weeks long planned events. Many magic moments from ordinary things.

I did not raise dumb kids because I have a son who took his wife to Florida to see her dad and his wife, then onto Texas to visit a son and daughter-in-law and their only three grandkids. That is a cruel twist of fate, getting to retirement age before you have grandkids and they are that far away. How can you possibly spoil them properly?  A daughter and her husband are taking a much deserved vacation in Florida and they all chose to go during the coldest weather of January and the most snow!

I have two recipes that I have been saving to try before I pass them on, but my ambition went out the window and before I lose the clippings, I am going to give them to you and you can tell me if they are worth saving.

          

BREAKFAST SQUARES

2 cups quick oats

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

½ cup brown sugar

¾ cup milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup raisins

¼ teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients. Stir until blended. Scrape into  9 inch square, greased baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

           

RASPBERRY MALLOW PIE

35 large marshmallows

½ cup milk

1 package (10 oz.) frozen raspberries

1 carton (8 oz.) whipped topping

1 ( 9 inch) graham cracker crust

In a large microwave bowl combine marshmallows and milk. Cook on high for 1 to two minutes. Stir until smooth. Stir in raspberries, then fold in whipped topping. Pour into crust. Refrigerate or can be frozen.

Do not read the weather forecast. It can be depressing.

Community Magic 8/1/13

Orange Cinnamon French Toast

I wrote this last week in the middle of the night. That is my excuse for dating it wrong. Really I had a very small yearly calendar by my computer and misread the actual date for the coming week.  I took care of that problem and have replaced it with a life size calendar!  Hope it gets me safely through the rest of the year.

Another eagerly awaited celebration has now gone by the wayside.  Hope you local readers participated in the annual festivities that we once knew as the Homecoming.  Now known as The Festival Of Flags, it is much different but that is the way with many facets of our lives.  I always attend the Thursday evening festivities and watch the parade.  Many congratulations are to be passed to a number of our local celebrities. Each is important in itself, so I will mention them in the order that they occurred.  A well deserving honor was given to our special citizen as an Ambassador of Edgerton, Stevie Kimpel.  This was followed by the announcing of our Citizen of the Year. This honor went to Don Buchs, who quietly in his humble fashion goes about town being kind to many of his friends and neighbors.  I was once a recipient of his kindness and generosity.  I was enjoying lunch at the Bulldog café with my sister, only to find that he had paid for our lunch. We both secretly rationalized that we were the main reason for his kindness, but were smart enough to not ask any questions.  Edgerton is blessed to have both of you as residents and friends.

Also, many thanks need to be given to our community choir and its director, Kevin Riehle.  It takes a special person to devote time from an already busy schedule to make this a successful venture. I am certain that the choir members enjoy singing, but it also takes dedication and much time to develop the fantastic results.  There is much talent there, but it probably takes a little magic to shape the different voices and personalities into a community production.  Our heartfelt thanks go to each of you for a pleasant evening.

Another very important celebration on Saturday was the ninetieth birthday of Wilma Hornbeck, held in Williams Center.  My sister expressed her desire to attend the celebration but is confined to a wheel chair. She is too much of a challenge for me to transport, since I quite often need help myself. So we cried a few small tears and her daughter agreed to furnish us transportation.  Wilma was a childhood friend of ours and a distant relative.  Her dad and our dad were first cousins. We were also connected with the same youth group from our churches. Back in the early 1940’s, I would occasionally go to her family home and spend the night. I also have a picture of  us together, taken  in probably 1942 in bathing suits!  What a change that many years makes! Our blood connection was distant enough that she did not have to claim us as relatives, but the good times we had as kids made us want to help her celebrate her reaching this great milestone. Best wishes to you ,Wilma for a great year.

To help get us from this to food is a great leap. After the parade my daughter asked me if I wanted to go to the park and get a sandwich.  That sounded much better than going home and making a peanut butter sandwich or crackers and cheese.  We were on a short time schedule and our preferred choice was a sausage sandwich. They were not ready to serve them for another hour, so we settled on a fried bologna one. We were quite a ways from the parking lot and my neighbor was there on a John Deere cart that I won’t name because I would call it something that is not politically correct. She graciously, realizing that I am not a youngster any more, asked me if I needed a ride to the car.  So this was an unexpected, added experience to the weekend celebration.

Now back to food. During the weekend another ego building experience was several readers, one an “older” man, who relayed to me the enjoyment they get from my ramblings and recipes. A positive response from readers is what keeps me going.  Those of you who don’t appreciate it , just go to page 4 and 5 !

            

ORANGE CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons honey

½ teaspoon cinnamon

3 eggs

½ cup orange juice

6 slices bread

Combine butter honey and cinnamon. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Spread to coat bottom of pan. Beat eggs, orange juice and salt if desired. Dip bread into egg mixture and place in prepared pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until golden brown. Invert onto a serving platter. Serve with extra honey and butter if desired.

            

BEEF TENDERLOIN STROGANOFF

1 ½ pounds beef tenderloin, cut in thin strips

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1 ½ cups beef broth

¼ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons tomato paste

½ teaspoon paprika

Salt to taste

Hot cooked noodles

Toss beef in flour. Brown beef in butter and oil. Gradually stir in broth. In a bowl combine sour cream, tomato paste, paprika and salt. Bring beef mixture to a boil. Reduce heat. Slowly stir in sour cream mixture. Do not boil. Cook, uncovered, over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve over noodles. Serves 4.

Magic Breakfast Recipes 5/30/13

Congratulations and best wishes are extended to each member of Edgerton High School’s class of 2013.  May each of you reach all of your dreams and goals for the future.

As I scanned the pictures of each graduate in last week’s Earth, I realized that I must be approaching old age.  There were so few of the graduates that I knew. All of the ones that were in Mrs. Glore’s second grade class room when I volunteered for many years as a helper have graduated, the community population has changed and I have lost contact with that generation.  My how fast the years go by.

I had an interesting new experience last week.  I hesitantly agreed to assist with selling St. Mary’s new cook book at the Chief grocery store in Bryan.  I am very willing to move the merchandise, but am not aggressive enough  to  make someone decide that they want what I have to sell. It turned out to be a very pleasant few hours.  I got reacquainted with a parishioner who was with me and saw several friends that I had not seen in a long time. Oh, yes, we did sell a few books. My grateful thanks to several people who really wanted one and a couple who did some Christmas shopping, one even wanting us to autograph the book.  It was a magic change from my usual routine. I might do it again.

Do ever think you are tired of cooking and eating the same old oatmeal or dry cereal for breakfast? While trying to diminish a number of things that I thought I should keep, I found two recipes that look as if they were clipped from the same magazine. I do not know which one nor how many years ago. Something tells me that as soon as I pass them on to you they can go by the wayside. How can one little old lady accumulate so much stuff that will look like junk to her kids?

          

PEPPERONI CHEESE BAKE

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

½ cup diced pepperoni

5 eggs

¾ cup milk

¼ teaspoon basil

Layer the cheese and pepperoni in a 9” pie plate. Whisk eggs, milk and basil, pour over cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  I never use basil.  I would use any other favorite herb or seasoning.

         

BREAKFAST PIZZA

2 cans (7 ½ oz. each) refrigerated biscuits

1 pound bulk pork sausage

2 cans (4 oz.) mushroom pieces, drained

1 large onion, diced

4 ½ teaspoons butter

12 eggs

3 cups(12 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

Separate into 20 biscuits. Cover bottom of greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan with biscuits. Crumble sausage into a skillet, cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain, set aside. In the same skillet, sauté mushrooms and onion in butter for 3 minutes; add to the sausage. In a bowl, whisk the eggs. Coat skillet with spray. Add eggs and cook over medium heat until eggs are set. Spread mixture over biscuits. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 t0 12 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and biscuits are golden brown. This serves 6 to 8, but can easily be cut in half.

Either one of these breakfast suggestions would be a magic way to start out a new day.

Healthy, Happy, Better Educated School Kids 8/16/12

 Whole grain, apple and ham breakfast casserole

Oh, dear.  Can you believe that the last month of summer is half gone?  That means that school is starting already. It seems that the main thing I accomplished this summer is trying to keep cool, complaining about the extreme heat and the corresponding extreme electric bill from the air conditioner running constantly, and begging for the high percentage of forecast showers to please send a few drops to our town.  We are extremely grateful for the recent relief in both areas, plus lower temperatures and enough rain to revive the lawns from the ugly brown that they had all acquired to a semblance of green.

With school starting this week, have you noticed the articles in the press and magazines about the importance of a healthy breakfast for our kids before leaving home for a day of learning? This takes me back to my childhood, we won’t mention how many years.  We did not just crawl out of bed and run out the door to school.  My brothers had to go to the barn and milk cows, feed all of the animals and be back in the house for breakfast, cleaned up and ready for an 8:00 a.m. school bus. Skipping breakfast was not an option.  Sometimes it was fried potatoes and eggs, but more often it was a healthy cereal made from cracked wheat that we prepared in an antique coffee grinder. It was often prepared like cream of wheat.

That brings back another memory at the time of our little brother’s birth. We were all born at home  and at that time new mothers were bedfast for nearly three weeks and we had hired help with the household duties. An older lady whom we as kids did not know filled this need in our home.  She could not cook for sour apples!  She made a travesty of our usually welcome hot breakfast.  My dad with an authority sounding voice said to all six of us, “Just keep your mouth shut and eat it.”  Guess what, that is just what we did, but were overjoyed when her three weeks were over and our mother took over the cooking. We also had a cereal made from this same ground wheat that we made into a cake like breakfast food that we all enjoyed. I brought the idea to my own family and all but one daughter liked it. One daughter still makes it and brings some to our annual family camping weekend.  Her older sister still cringes at the thought.

As I look back, with no fast foods available and no cash available, we ate very healthy from products available from our farm life.  Maybe that has something to do with our longevity since 6 out of 7 of us lived beyond our eightieth birthdays.

As usual I have veered from the original idea of the importance of eating a healthy breakfast for school kids.  Reports have been published about the improved ability to learn when a healthy breakfast is supplied to school kids.  This does not mean a bowl of sugar coated cereal accompanied by a glass of too sugar laden so called fruit juice. I saved a recipe from the Journal Gazette just to try for myself, but it should fill the criteria of a healthy breakfast and can be prepared the night before and baked in the morning.

Here is to healthier breakfasts and smarter kids.  Maybe I should change that to “more readily  prepared to absorb learning”. (I say kids today are not smarter than we were, they are just exposed to more facts!)           
      
WHOLE-GRAIN, APPLE and HAM BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
4 ounces of deli-sliced ham, sliced
3 apples, peeled, cored and diced
6 slices whole grain bread, cubed
8 egg whites
½ cup fat free half-and-half
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
In a medium sized casserole dish, toss together the ham, apples, bread cubes and cheese.  Beat together the egg whites and half and half.  (I think I would use the whole egg.) Pour the egg mixture over the bread and meat. Use a fork to gently press the bread to absorb the liquid. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the casserole. Cover the dish with foil and refrigerate until morning.  Bake at 375 degrees, covered for 20 minutes. Then uncover and bake for another 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.

The next one, I think I gave it to you once before, I bake often for myself. My daughter served it at a brunch several years ago and I think you will like it, too.  I have the recipe taped to the inside of my cupboard door where my nosey little old friend does not see it and hide it from me.

OATMEAL BAKE
3 cups quick oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup peeled,  sliced apples
½ cup diced fresh peaches
½ cup blue berries, optional
1 cup English walnuts, coarsely chopped
Combine oats, brown sugar, (I use ½ cup Splenda brown sugar) baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Combine beaten eggs milk and melted butter. Add to dry ingredients. Stir in fruit and nuts.  I omitted the peaches and blueberries. I do not care for blueberries and did not have any peaches, so I used two cups of chopped apples. Place in an 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, Do not over bake.
I like it best when I zap it in the microwave for a few seconds before adding milk. It works well to add the blueberries at this point.

May this help to create a healthier, happier and better educated group of future leaders in our community, state and nation.

1/19/12

I hate to spoil any notion that you may have about me improving on the amount of dumb things that I do just because I have not mentioned any lately. I did an original one just a few weeks ago. I operate on a scripted schedule on Saturday mornings to get to my weekly hair appointment at 8:00 A.M.  I like that time because it doesn’t very often interfere with any social or just fun things that I might want to do. I arrived just in time. 

I usually take off my glasses and place them on the counter, but since my beautician was waiting on me I just sat in the chair with them still on my face.  She patiently removed them and placed them on the counter where I ordinarily put them.  She washed and set my hair, putting my glasses back on me as I usually read the paper while I am under the dryer. After reading the morning paper, I came back to be combed and as she removed the curlers, I held my glasses in my right hand by the bows and was casually rubbing them back and forth across my black slacks. I suddenly realized that something was amiss and quickly announced that I was missing the right lens!  Since I had already been there a good 45 minutes, she was certain that I had lost it in the shop and carefully swept the floor since a clear lens on a figured floor would be difficult to notice.  I drove home as I had apparently done when I came with only one lens, especially since my driver’s license states that I must drive with my glasses. 

Would you believe that I had not slept well that night and brought in the morning paper early and was reading it in bed. My scrunched schedule did not allow time for me to make my bed, so I stealthily tiptoed into the bedroom and there in my bed, lying amidst the morning paper was my lens from my glasses. The last time I got new glasses, I saved my old ones because I could still read quite well with them but the frames were weak. So I located them, fortunately, and went to my eye doctor the next week. As the technician was replacing the lens and adjusting them, I told her what had happened.  I made her day as she remarked laughingly, “Boy, that is the first time I have heard that story!”  At least I was original if not too bright, and gave her a chuckle for the day.


I have been as lazy as a hoot owl the past few weeks. I still have some pain from my case of shingles  for which I blame my worthlessness, so I have no desire to cook anything complicated and do not care much if I eat it after I do cook. So today the recipes that caught my attention are very simple.   The first one is similar to pizza, so should be a hit with all of your kids besides being easy to make.

                        EASY  PIZZA CASSEROLE
8 ounces cooked noodles
1 pound browned hamburger
1 cup dried onion (use fresh finely diced ones if you prefer)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup Pizza Sauce
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice
Cook noodles, drain and brown hamburger.  Mix
together all ingredients and put into a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Top with shredded cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50
to 60 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

This next recipe will make a nice lazy Saturday morning breakfast when there is not so much activity getting maybe both parents to work and kids to the baby sitters.  It could also create some magic moments, such as we remember fondly when the kids were at home.  My husband worked the second shift for 16 years, which made him gone when they came home from school and they got on the school bus before he was up. So Saturday mornings were special and he cooked breakfast, mostly consisting of either scrambled eggs, toast and hot chocolate or pancakes. Sometimes circumstances make it necessary to create your own special memories. We also made special time for each other as I was usually up when he came home from work.
          
SUMMER SAUSAGE “N” EGG  WEDGES
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 ½ cup diced summer sausage
1 cup cottage cheese with chives
Combine eggs, milk, flour, baking powder and
 garlic powder. Stir in shredded cheese, summer
sausage and cottage cheese.  Pour into greased
9” pie plate. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes at
375 degrees. To serve cut into 6 wedges and sprinkle
with additional shredded cheese.

“Remember that every minute that you stay angry, you lose 60 minutes of happiness.”

12/27/11

It doesn’t seem possible, but this is  the last time I can use the date of 2011, but we still have a few days to create a bit of magic in our lives and the lives of those dearest to us.  There were several of those moments in my Christmas celebration.  There is something very special about our family Christmas gathering when the greatest percentage of all of us manages to make it here.  Thanks to the generosity of a daughter and son-in-law who open their hearts and home to all of us, we can celebrate our Christmas brunch in a home atmosphere in spite of the fact that there are over 80 of us!

Two occasions were very special to me that directly involve Magic Moments and created  special moments in my life.  I received a Christmas greeting from a daughter of a lifelong friend who comes back to Edgerton apparently only once a year.  She and her husband have a friend who saves the EARTH for them all year. She expressed the pleasure she experienced in reading my thoughts, ramblings and recipes.  Thanks so much, Ketra.  The other was one of very few phone calls in my lifetime from a cousin, whom I seldom see, expressing the pleasure they receive when this comes into their home.

Also, the first visit home for my youngest grandson who has joined the military created a very specialness to the already great aurora of the Christmas season. From some special childhood visits to my home when we baked cut out sugar cookies, he has mastered the recipe and made a double recipe of them on Christmas Day!  We had a small gathering at his parent’s home, and at least in my mind, and no one is going to change it, he gave me the first one, still hot from the oven. This is an example of how magic moments can be created for us and those we love from very ordinary circumstances.  Our love and prayers go with you, Evan, as you fulfill your longtime plans of being in the military service.

We still have some celebrating to do since two grandsons from Texas are making a post Christmas visit this week, including a few months old great granddaughter whom I have never seen! Also my extended family will be enjoying a visit from a niece from California and a nephew from North Carolina will be visiting their mother and siblings. Isn’t it special that we can derive so much joy in the ordinary things of life?

After the holiday festivities, the special menus and annual treats we save for this time of the year,  it will be hard to impress you with any suggestions of food.  So let’s try some very simple but tasty concoctions that I found in a very old book that I found on the bottom shelf of my computer stand. I was impressed with their ease of preparation and can help use up that left over Christmas ham and baked potatoes.
                                 
SKILLET BREAKFAST
2 large potatoes, baked and cubed
½ cup chopped green pepper
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder and seasoning salt
8 eggs, lightly beaten
½ pound cubed, fully cooked ham
¼ cup water
¼ cup salsa
Salt and pepper taste
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Saute potatoes, green pepper and onion in oil. Sprinkle
 with onion powder, garlic powder and seasoning salt.
 Combine the eggs, ham, water, salsa, salt and pepper. Add
 to potato mixture. Cook until eggs are set. Sprinkle with cheese.
 Cook until cheese is melted. Makes 6 servings.
                         
HAM GRIDDLE CAKES
I cup all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
¾ cup milk
1 cup finely chopped or ground fully cooked ham
Your favorite syrup

Combine flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl,
beat eggs and milk. Stir into dry ingredients just until
moistened. Fold in ham. Pour batter by ¼ cupfuls onto
lightly greased griddle. Turn when pancakes begin to
brown on the edges. Cook until  second side is golden
brown. Serve with butter and syrup.

May the blessings of this holy season stay with each of you through the coming year.

9/8/11

Some days we do not have to look far nor hard to find much magic in our life. This past week was such an experience. I received word from my youngest son that he had been promoted to manager of the Bunge facility, formerly Central Soya, in Decatur! He graduated from Tri State with a mechanical engineering degree after serving 8 years in the army, three of them in Germany, where I had the privilege of visiting him. Just before graduation they purchased a home in Decatur. We wanted to question the advisability of this because it would limit his choices of employment. Fortunately our theory of keeping our noses out of our kids lives was the right one. We were available for advice and support but not control. He accepted a position at this facility that was about three blocks from their new home! It is a fantastic feeling when as Sam Levinson, an author who had his own television show years ago, said, ”It is great when others say nice things about your kids.” Success is usually the combination of the co-operation and support of family members. So here is my thanks to Mari, his wife and his four kids.

Following this news his two youngest daughters, one a sophomore at Dayton University, the other a junior in high school, sent me a message asking if they could come on Saturday and have me teach them how to bake pies! This was a great compliment because just about a month before they had been here and we baked cut out sugar cookies. It must have been a successful day because they wanted to come back again. For years, after a number of years of struggling with pie crust, I thought I could make good pie crust. Then I experienced several times some that was served by a long time friend that I decided was better than mine. I asked her for her recipe and have used it for several years. (Thanks, Treeva.)

After accepting the girls request for a Saturday pie baking lesson, I wondered if they could manage the difficulty of rolling this particular crust. My theory is that the more difficult it is to roll and handle the better the finished product will be. Why did I even question this? They were so adaptable to the project. I wanted to show them how to bake a pie shell for cream pies. After a few suggestions, Aubrie ,the youngest one, produced a perfect pie shell, better than most that I have made. A great granddaughter joined us later in the afternoon. We made pumpkin, apple, fresh peach and banana cream with Hershey Bars in the bottom. We made three small individual pies with the left over filling from each variety, which we shared after a spaghetti supper. It was a great day of interaction between the three generations, good pie and I sent them merrily on their way with three of the pies for proof to their parents that they were where they said they were going. We ate the chocolate- banana cream pie along with our three small samples. Grandmothers, if you want a day of magic, initiate a cooking school with your granddaughters for a super day of interaction as well as passing along your experiences of being a good cook.

Today I do not have to work hard to get to the idea of food. I did not have recipes selected so I turned to my old Taste of Home Annual Cookbook of QUICK COOKING. I think my guardian angel opened the book because there on that page were two simple to make complementary suggestions. Try them together and impress your family.

SAUSAGE BREAKFAST LOAF
1 pound smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, julienned
1 ½ cups, (6 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons minced parsley
½ teaspoon onion salt
1 tube (10 oz.) refrigerated pizza dough
Saute the sausage. Cool. Combine the sausage, cheese,
one egg, parsley, onion salt and garlic salt. Mix well. Unroll
pizza dough. Roll into a rectangle 8 inches x 12 inches. Spread
sausage mixture down the center of dough. Bring dough over
filling. Pinch seams to seal. Place seam side down on a greased
baking sheet. Tuck ends under. Beat remaining egg, brush over
top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden
brown. Let stand for five minutes before slicing.

STRAWBERRY PEACH CUP
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 cups sliced fresh peaches
1 package (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons orange juice
¼ teaspoon grated orange peel
½ cup whipped topping
Divide strawberries and peaches among four small dishes.
Beat the creamed cheese, orange juice and orange peel. Fold
In whipped topping. Dollop over top of fruit. Can serve orange
cream as a dip with other fruit.
Congratulations to Ruth Kimpel for her 85th birthday. We are nearly lifelong friends as we are not related but shared the same aunt and uncle, through marriage. When my parents moved to Edgerton in 1940 from Butler, we found that that her parents had moved here from Waterloo. We rode the same school bus and continued our friendship throughout our lives.

9/1/11

Look what happened when I wasn’t looking. Where did the summer go? Seems as if it were just a short time ago that I was so tired of snow, snow, snow. Here already it is time to put my white shoes and white slacks, back into storage. At least we can give many thanks for the diminished amount of damage from what was forecast from the hurricane that hit the East coast. No matter how our lives are disrupted there are always things to be thankful for.

My busy schedule for the weekend included 2 funerals, a baby shower, my weekly visit to the nursing home, and we won’t mention a couple of garage sales. I am always comforted by my visits to see my sister at the nursing home by her uncomplaining acceptance of her controlled existence brought on by her extended illness. In her “other life” she was always going somewhere and doing something. When I went in her room she smiled from ear to ear and said, ”I was just thinking about you”. Even though I went to cheer her, she sent good feelings my way, thanking me for coming and making a good spot in her day. I have added her name to the list of people I want to be like when I get old. We always find something to laugh about. My visit was indeed a magic moment for both of us.

I was searching for recipes last evening and then closed the book without marking the ones I wanted to use. By now I should realize that it was a dangerous thing to do,. I did remember what book I had used. So today we will venture into a couple that I have not tried to make nor heard about before. I use the theory that if you put good ingredients into a project you should get a good product. Let’s see if that works this week. They both sound good to me.

SCALLOPED EGGS, HAM AND MUSHROOMS
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 cup dry breadcrumbs (Think we could substitute crackers?)
¼ cup butter
6 hard cooked eggs, sliced crosswise1 cup cubed, cooked ham
½ cup sliced mushrooms
Make a white sauce of 3 tablespoons butter flour, salt and milk. In a
casserole dish alternate 1 cup of the dry crumbs moistened with the butter, hard
cooked eggs, ham and mushrooms. Over this pour the white sauce.
Top with buttered crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

EAGLE BRAND COOKIES
30 graham crackers, crushed
1 cup English walnuts, chopped
6 ounces chocolate chips
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
Mix ingredients well and drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes. These freeze well.

I forgot to mention that we old cooks can learn from the younger generation. I was a supper guest at my son and daughter-in-law’s home. She made a creamed chicken mixture over biscuits. I tried to copy the idea. It is a long story, so we will save it for next week.

8/25/11

After a very quiet weekend, 8 hours of sleep last night and a nice nap yesterday afternoon, I should be as bright as a dollar. The only trouble is I am having difficulty ringing in at 50 cents! Other than a fantastic fun day with my sister on Friday, which consisted of shopping, lunch and visiting our baby sister (82) and our aunt at Laurels of DeKalb in Butler, I had no social contacts.

There was a magic moment in my shopping venture. My youngest sister said that I could not cook if they ever took cheese off the market. Here I noticed my favorite brand (Velveeta) was on an unbelievable sale. I turned around from my selection to realize a lady was talking to me. I was so engrossed in my purchase that I was not aware of anyone around me. She was telling me how much she enjoyed my ramblings and we had a brief pleasant chat. I hadn’t seen her for a long, long time but she is the daughter-in-law of a very special friend of my past. It was indeed a magic moment of my day.

Another pleasant activity was a response of a request to donate cookies for a local political rally. I responded with the offer of 4 dozen sugar cookies with white frosting and red, white and blue sprinkles.

This should have been a simple request, but my frail mind did not schedule it properly with my other obligations and I nearly forgot that I was waiting until the last evening so they would be as fresh as possible. So at eleven p.m. I was still frosting cookies. It didn’t help that I so generously offered 4 dozen because that is what I thought one batch made. Imagine my chagrin when I could come up with only three dozen. I hurriedly did a small recipe of chocolate chip cookies, only to find my supply of chocolate chips was diminished. Being raised to make do with what you have, I rummaged through my “goodies jar” and found a package of Heath Toffee Bits. They turned out exceptionally well. You should try it.

Back to the political rally. I did not attend but I find myself already tired of the finger pointing, character assassinations and "just say No" antics. If I were one of the Special 12 committee, I would start with repealing the lifetime pensions of congressmen who almost all are very wealthy in their own right. Let’s get down to what is good for our country, not just trying to get re-elected and promoting a particular party. Remember to be an informed voter, not a prejudiced one. NO party has all of the best candidates.

I am still trying to eliminate a lot of unnecessary accumulated items in my household. I contributed one bag to the garbage collection, and made one visit to Good Will. That is a good start. Going through a recipe box, I saved a couple that I thought you might be interested in. They are from clippings I saved from a flier in the weekend newspaper. They also meet my standard of simple preparation and down to earth ingredients. They both make servings for six people so I am experimenting with only a half recipe of one. I think I cam manage a whole recipe that fits into a 9-inch pie pan!

BREAKFAST PIZZA
2 cans (7 ½ oz.) buttermilk biscuits, separated
1 pound bulk pork sausage
2 cans (4 oz. each) mushroom pieces, drained
1 large onion , diced
4 ½ teaspoons butter
12 eggs
3 cups (12 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
Separate and cover bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Set aside
Crumble sausage into a skillet. Cook over medium heat until no
longer pink. Place sausage in a bowl and set aside. In the same
skillet, sauté mushrooms and onion 3 to five minutes. Add to the
sausage. Whisk the eggs, cook and stir over medium heat until
nearly set. Add sausage and vegetable mixture, Spread egg mixture
over biscuits. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 400 degrees
for 12 minutes. Uncover and bake10 to 12 minutes longer.

PEPPERONI CHEESE BAKE
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup diced pepperoni
5 eggs
¾ cup milk
¼ teaspoon dried basil
In a greased 9 inch pie plate, layer the mozzarella cheese and
pepperoni. Whisk the eggs, milk and basil. Pour over the cheese.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes
before cutting.