OOPS! 1/17/13

I hope that you do not recognize me.  I do have a paper bag over my head to camouflage  my identity. Those who tried my recipe for the raspberry dessert last week are, no doubt, hoping that it is a plastic bag!!  I do extend my apology unless you are a better cook than I am.  I was unhappy with my results. I have always had a very strong conviction that if you put good things in a recipe you should be guaranteed positive results.  I am going to at least soften my preaching points on that theory.  I knew it would be delicious, so as I am trying to use up what I have on hand, I realized that I had everything that I needed to make this dessert. (I did substitute a package of strawberries that looked a little wilted in the freezer for the red raspberries but that part of my endeavor was successful.)  

There were two major flaws in my product.  First of all, I was not impressed with the dry vanilla wafer crumbs.  I had not thought about trying to spread a thick layer over the crumbs.  It stuck to my crumb mixture.  I was not going to let anything that simple get the best of me. I had made two 8 x 8 dishes instead of a large 9 x 13. I intended to be gracious and give one away! I melted the butter which made it easier to spread, but I put all of it on one. So I just mixed up another one for the other dish. I got it spread on, but when it chilled, it was too much butter and was too sweet. This might have been because I am quite conservative with my sugar intake.  The fruit mixture on top was quite as I had anticipated. If you are still reading, I would put butter in the wafer crumbs and bake it, use the recipe for the next layer that a lot of desserts call for with cream cheese, powdered sugar and whipped topping. The fruit topping is quite acceptable.  How could anything that sounded so simple and delicious have turned out like my endeavor? After such results, I think I felt like Notre Dame’s football team after Alabama got through with them!!

I have been on cloud nine with several compliments about Magic Moments. One was from a male cousin who follows me very closely and said” Max, don’t ever stop!” The other major one was from a lady whom I have never met who lives in Norway! When I was in junior high school her grandfather was engaged to my aunt, who never married. The two were classmates and he came back from the east coast to the reunions.  One year his granddaughter came with several family members from Norway but I did not meet them. One day our editor saw me and said that she had an email for me from someone she did not know but she would forward it to me.  When my brother Kenny died in 2007 my aunt had mailed her the column that I had written about him.  The email address for the paper was in the article.  She had lost contact with my aunt because the phone numbers that she had were not in service because she had gone to a nursing home. Her ingenuity prompted her to send a note to that address looking for information about my aunt. She was amazed when she got my reply.  My aunt died in December and Siri Anne and I have become email friends, with me sending her my column. It is amazing how I send it in the evening and early the next morning I have a reply back. The technology behind it is indeed a big box of magic! She told me how much she enjoyed just quitting what she should be doing and sitting down and reading my ramblings. She couldn’t believe my promise to stay out of the grocery store and use up what I already had, because she was doing the same thing. She had been eating a lot of Salmon Lasagna.  English is not her first language but she does a remarkable job of writing her thoughts and I am so impressed with our connection.  Does that make me an international columnist? I can hear my sister saying ,”Oh, don’t you bet on that”!!

I had a few other thoughts but this is taking up too much space so I will save them for next week.  That is if I write them down and write a note as to where I put the paper! I have picked out very simple recipes for this week that even I could not spoil. They are both very ordinary combinations that my mother would have cooked for us and like I prepared for my large family. Since for so many years I have just worried about myself, I still am amazed about the years that I prepared three meals a day for eleven people.

                        
GROUND BEEF MACARONI CASSEROLE

1 package (8oz.) elbow macaroni

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can (15 oz.) Italian tomato sauce

1 egg

1 can (10 ¾ oz.) cream of chicken soup

1 ½ cups milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon minced parsley

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook macaroni according to package directions. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until no longer ink. Drain fat, stir in tomato sauce.  Heat through. Drain macaroni, transfer to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Combine egg, soup, milk, butter and parsley. Pour over macaroni. Spoon beef mixture over top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

                        
SKILLET LASAGNA

¾ pound ground beef

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (14 ½  oz.) diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, garlic

2 jars (14 oz. each) spaghetti sauce

2/3 cup cream of onion soup, undiluted

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 ¼ cups cottage cheese

¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning

9 no-cook lasagna noodles

½ cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook beef and garlic over medium heat. Drain. Stir in tomatoes and spaghetti sauce. Heat through. Transfer to bowl. Combine cottage cheese, soup, eggs and Italian seasoning. Return 1 cup of meat sauce to the skillet, spread evenly. Layer with 1 cup cottage cheese mixture, 1 ½ cups of meat sauce and half of the noodles. Top with the remaining meat sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, sprinkle with cheeses. Cover and let stand 2 minutes until cheese is melted.

Good luck with today’s recipes. Please forget that you ever saw the raspberry dessert recipe or at least forget where you heard about it.

Busy Day Casserole 1/13/13

I really need a bucket of magic right now.  Last evening while I was doing some neglected duties in the kitchen, similar to a day or two of dishes in the kitchen sink, I mentally composed a fantastic draft for this week’s paper.  Right now all I remember is that I had a few ideas that I thought would work. I have procrastinated for an hour and still my mind is a blank. The foremost thought that lingers is that a few years ago someone, I think it was a sister-in-law, gave me a nice hardback book of empty pages with the message accompanying it “Max, write it down.”  I enjoyed the humor of the time but now I realize how important that discarded advice was needed.  She was so smart and I thought she was kidding.

Since we are at the start of a new year maybe we should mention resolutions for improving ourselves.  This year I did not concentrate on any needed issues, but I did think about staying out of the grocery store until I use up all of the great bargains that I thought I needed.  My freezer and pantry cupboard are bulging and sometimes I think I hear grumbling noises coming from each one about overcrowding. So since I have milk, eggs, bread and a host of other “stuff” I am going to revert to the days of my childhood and when my kids were all home. I will look over the situation and decided what in the world can I make from the stuff I already have on hand, not what do I want to eat.    

I started last week and cooked a whole chicken that I had purchased from a grandson who owns a set of farm buildings and a small acreage. He had raised a few chickens that he had butchered and frozen.  They do not come any better than home grown ones and I was saving it for something special. My first thought was why was I not special enough to use it for. Also it was quite large, not like the pigeons that we quite often get, and I could visualize the space that I could use in case I read about a sale that I really could not resist.

Back to my chicken.  I also have a set of amber colored glass cookware that I seldom use which I was considering dropping off at the free store.  There is a large Dutch oven and my mind clicked into gear thinking, “Aha, I bet my chicken will fit in that.”  I covered it generously with Ken’s Honey Mustard Dressing, then sprinkled a large minced onion over the top.  I cooked it breast down, adding about a cup of water. I could not locate the glass lid so I covered it with foil and put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about two hours.  I uncovered it to let it brown a bit.  Now one large chicken is a bit much for one little old lady. It was tender enough that I picked out the bones and ate perhaps more than the suggested amount for one person.  The next day I made some chicken sandwiches from the diced meat. My final entrée was a delight of the remaining meat, broth, and potatoes cooked until you might consider them overdone, seasoned with my favorite lemon pepper.  Lowry’s seasoning salt would be great or your favorite seasoning. 

There were two blessings, I used what I already had purchased and it made my menu planning for the next few days non-existent allowing time for a few more games of solitaire and Free Cell on my computer!  Sorry, Free Store, you will have to wait because I am now using the smaller glass sauce pans to cook in.  Maybe you should watch to see what dumpster my kids put them in.

Today I took down most of my Christmas things, but I hate the job of packing them away. The last things to go will be my nativity sets. One I leave on display year round because it is a central part of our Christian faith. The house will look dull until I get acclimated to the normal appearance of things. One of these warm days I will take down the garland on my patio fence.

I spent an unusual time selecting recipes for today. I thought I should do something to synchronize my attraction to desserts, but I could not resist the urge to include one.  In case you do not appreciate the ones I chose, just remember I could have used one I am afraid to send out without trying and the other one was for Pickled Ring Bologna!!  Enjoy my dessert, both recipes are simple and easy to prepare.

                           

BUSY DAY CASSEROLE

1 pound lean ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can mixed vegetables (I would prefer a small bag of frozen ones)

Tater tots

Salt and pepper as desired

Fry beef and onion over low heat, until nearly done. Drain off excess fat. Add soup and vegetables. Pour into a baking casserole. Top with Tater Tots. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

             

FAVORITE RASPBERRY DESSERT

1 package vanilla wafers

½ cup butter

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 carton (8 oz.) whipped topping

1 cup chopped nuts

1 package of frozen raspberries

(could use other fruit of your choice)

Roll wafers into crumbs and layer them in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Mix butter and powdered sugar and spread over wafer crumbs. Add nuts and berries to whipped topping and spread over top. Let stand for several hours.

Again may 2013 be a fantastic year with many blessings for each of you and your families.

A Clean Slate 1/3/13

Today’s date is a bit unusual and reminds us that here we have a clean slate to start a brand new year.  Hope we can erase some bloopers and the damage from them and create a fantastic year better than the last one. Maybe you were luckier than I happened to be and didn’t make any bad decisions.  There always seems to be room for improvement in some category. Hope we all accomplish it for a bigger and better 2013.

Christmas is nearly in the past, although I keep my Christmas things on display until after January 6^th , the day we celebrate the wise men finding the birth place of Christ and bringing Him gifts, originating the practice of giving Christmas gifts to those we love. Hope your Christmas brought you much family time and heartwarming joy. 

We had our usual celebration at Mike and Becky’s home where we can all be seated in the same room for a Christmas Brunch.  This year was special because a grandson from Texas who comes only every other year was here with his family and a granddaughter who lives in Maryland was able to be here  She brought with her one of three Chinese exchange students she and her husband are hosting.  It was a special day marred only by a few who could not make it because of surgery and working schedules. It was a great day. Hope your celebration was perfect.

I am certain that after the many celebrations that always demand food, nothing seems to excite us.  I purchased some bulk sausage, intending to make a special entrée, but could not find the recipe.  So I resorted to my scrap books of my columns and fond one that had nothing to do with sausage, but it sounded so simple and easy to make it aroused my interest to fill my dietary needs on an especially lazy day, and I happened to have all of the ingredients in my pantry.  I was more than pleased with it and made it again today with a minor addition.  It makes enough for two and I enjoyed the warm up the next day more than the original sampling.  Hope you are tempted to try it.  It was in the year of 2003 that I gave it to you.  I did not remember it at all and am not certain that I had made it, but it is going to be a regular on my menus now.

                        

FRIDAY TUNA SPECIAL

1 cup crushed cracker crumbs

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can of tuna, (I prefer Albacore)

3 eggs, slightly beaten

Combine all ingredients.  Place in a generously buttered, small casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. In my efforts today, I added about a cup of left over peas. I rated the trial a success.

I looked in an old recipe book and was interested in the pictures of several new combinations until I noticed that they called for either blue cheese or horseradish.   So I looked further and came across something that I do approve of.

                        

CHICKEN SALAD CROISSANT SANDWICHES

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

¾ cup chopped apple

¾ cup dried cranberries

¾ cup mayonnaise

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup chopped celery

I tablespoon chopped onion

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon curry powder

6 lettuce leaves

6 croissants, split

Combine chicken, apple, cranberries, mayonnaise, walnuts, lemon juice, onion and curry powder. Place the lettuce on the croissants. Top with chicken salad and other half of croissant.

May the new year of 2013 bring you and yours only good things.

Merry Christmas to All! 12/20/12

As is the usual custom at Christmas time, I will just wish for you the best Christmas of all time.   My wishes for you were inspired by a card I received from a special niece of mine for my birthday. From the basic thought, I will develop my own perspective.  Christmas finds us scurrying around, trying to find the perfect gift for others. Most of the time it is quite simple what will really bring them a blessed holiday.

First I wish each of you a love-filled life. We all need to love and to be loved in return. Scripture tells us to love one another as ourselves, and as God has loved us.  Much joy and many magic moments can be found in  loving relationships.

I wish you peace. Being comfortable with what you believe in and the standards that you set for your life and dealing with others is a source of great contentment. Treat others as you wish to be treated.  Be kind to everyone that comes in to your life.

Next, may your life be controlled by a steadfast faith in God and His plan for our redemption.  Get your faith out of the corner and dust it off, polish and deepen it. More important share it with others.  In case you have shoved yours into a corner or worse, thrown it out, ask God for help in bringing it back to a priority in your life.

My final wish for you is joy, which can be readily supplied if you follow the first requirements of love, peace and faith.

So let’s just feed our souls today and let this be a recipe for a great life. May your Christmas be holy, merry and filled with great family connections. See you all in the new year of 2013!

Nutty as a Fruitcake!! 12/13/12

I see Christmas is sneaking up on us really fast.  I am certain that you all know I have really been trying to be good, but at that point I must rest my case. As I ponder over a few circumstances that I am afraid you might have heard about, I think the only thing left from me to do is to come clean and admit that you heard right. But why would anyone with the years of experience that I have had, be part of something that defies good sense. My only recourse is to blame my little sneaky friend who is always stirring in my business, making a mess of things.  I really had my Thanksgiving dinner plans under rigid control.  I had invited those who needed a place to share the noon meal to come to my house.  I carefully list what I am making and issue the  fact that whatever else they do not bring, we will not eat!  It always works wonderfully and we have more food than we know what to do with.  

I have a favorite recipe for Easy Meat Balls that I ordinarily have an extra one prepared in the freezer ready for unexpected guests. As the day approached, I began to think maybe I should use the two 8x 8 baking dishes full that I had prepared when I found a really good deal at the local grocery store on low fat ground beef.  So I intelligently took them from the freezer in advance so they would be ready to use for our noon meal.  So far, so good.  I even managed to have a time schedule so they would be ready the same time as my Honey Mustard Chicken that was already cooking in the oven.  I very confidently put the first one in the oven. As I was doing the second one, I removed the elastic bound plastic cover from the dish, I thought, ”Oh, Oh!” I did not remember removing the cover of the first one. Sure enough, and it was worse than I thought.  I had used Glad Wrap on that one and the whole thing had disintegrated except that that was clinging desperately to the sides of my dish.  There was none on the food, so I scraped off what I could and we ate it, but I am still digging off plastic from that dish! Reheating it was not a successful operation. 

Guess I am a slow learner and should really pay more attention to that little old lady that tries to help me when I really do not need any interference.  This time I was so proud of myself that I was doing Christmas cookies earlier than I ever start.  I keep my flour in a Tupper Ware container that holds over five pounds of flour. I was so proud of myself because I had put it back where it is stored instead of leaving it set on the counter where I was mixing cookies. It must have been her that put it back because I still needed it to roll out the cutout cookies. It is stored above the dryer and is a tricky reach for me, but I can master it with no problems. Wrong!  As I stretched to reach the container and pull it from the cupboard, wouldn’t you know that she had left the small flour sifter sitting on top of the container. It was less than half full , but I know there was more flour than that, and it landed directly on top of my head!  I think that I thought a bad word or two. Anyway, it was the first time that I washed my own hair at home since I retired and became a lady of leisure and luxury and have my hair done each Saturday morning.

Since both of these atrocities happened when I was preparing food, my advice will be carefully scanned, so I am going to use really simple recipes this time.  For years and years a favorite of mine is one that that my daughter told me about and we used it for her wedding reception. You may want to use it for your Christmas festivities.  I make it every year for a son-in-law’s birthday. I think I gave it to you years ago, but it might be a suggestion for you younger cooks.

                        

CHEESE AND BOILED EGG SPREAD

1 pound of Velveeta cheese

2 cups Miracle whip

4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 tablespoon bacon bits, more if you prefer

Melt cheese in microwave at 50% power.  Do not over heat.  Stir in Miracle Whip and blend thoroughly.  Add eggs and bacon bits.  Serve with favorite crackers. To make a smaller amount of spread, just remember to use as much Miracle Whip as you use cheese and add egg and bacon bits according to your preference.

How about a dessert that takes only 15 minutes to prepare? Let it chill while you are preparing the rest of the meal.

                  

PISTACHIO CREAM PIE

1 prepared 9 inch graham cracker crust

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese

1 cup milk

1 package (3.4 oz.) pistachio instant pudding

1 can( 8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained

2 cups whipped topping

Toasted coconut

Mix the cream cheese, milk and pudding until smooth. Fold in drained pineapple.  Place in graham cracker crust. Spread top with whipped topping and sprinkle with coconut. Refrigerate until served.

The spirit finally got to me and I started decorating for Christmas.  Since I am having no celebrations at my home, I am doing less than usual.  I like them during the season. But I hate removing them and packing them away. I enjoy seeing all of the ones a lot of you so laboriously produce.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED 12/6/12

God picked another apple from my family tree this past week. Anna Mae Platt, 96, of Butler, Indiana, passed into eternity last Tuesday morning. She was the youngest sibling of my mother and the last of my direct ancestors, named after her grandmother, and always went by both names. She was survived by 6 nieces, which included my sister and myself. She lived a very active life until the last three years when she became a resident of Laurels of DeKalb in Butler. She retired from Indiana and Michigan Electric Company after approximately 40 years of service at the age of 60. She also was the organizer of the local Red Cross Blood drive for many years at which  she  diligently gave her best. Her parents were two of my favorite “old people”, (They both died 20 years younger than I am!!)  Grandma and Granddad Dick, formally known as Mr. and Mrs. Richard Platt.

For 45 years she was an expected guest at my family’s Christmas celebration.  It was the time of our three hour fast before receiving communion and we started  having a 6:00 A.M. breakfast, then the kids opened their gifts then we all went to Mass at 10:00.  I got an inspiration that since she had never spent Christmas morning with a bunch of kids,  I invited her to come to our breakfast. She readily accepted and was a guest for the next 25 years or so and never missed a Christmas morning.  After my family grew too much to get into my home, she still came to our celebrations until she could no longer care for herself and had to go to the nursing home. She always brought a huge box of “unnecessary” groceries that we did not buy because of the difficulty of spreading one wage to cover the needs of eleven people. She thoroughly enjoyed watching the kids go through the box, elated over the marshmallows, box mixes, sugar coated cereal, Quick chocolate drink mix, etc. She stated later that it was not nearly as much fun when I finally went to work to help out with the family finances and we did step out of our rigid budget occasionally.

She was a unique individual, happiest when she was in charge and will be greatly missed.  May she rest in peace.

I will give you two of her favorite recipes.  They happen to be in my cook book, but there are a lot of new readers who would not have one since that was published in 1992. (incidentally we sold 900 of them!)  The bread recipe she made by the dozens and gave them away.  I still enjoy it and bake it occasionally since I have the uncontrollable desire to sit down and eat the whole thing while it is still warm. It can’t be beat if you toast it and spread it generously with real butter.

                                    

DILLY BREAD

1 package yeast

¼ cup warm water

1 cup cottage cheese

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon minced onion

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoon dill seed

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon soda

1 unbeaten egg

2 ¼ to 2 ½  cups flour

Soften yeast in warm water. Heat cottage cheese to lukewarm. Add all ingredients, adding flour last. (From my upbringing, I think all bread needs to be kneeded, so I do.)  Cover and let rise in a warm place for 50 to 60 minutes. Mix down, turn into a greased glass loaf pan. Let rise 30 to 40 minutes. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees until crust is golden brown. Brush top crust with butter. 

This is delicious toasted and served with soups and is a great way to use cottage cheese that has slipped past the “use by” date”. I freeze the cottage cheese and make the bread at a convenient time.

A real favorite of hers was broccoli noodle soup and I made it frequently for her while at the nursing home. She would eat this even after she refused to eat most food that was offered to her.  Hope you like it that well.

                        

BROCCOLI NODLE SOUP

¼ cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon butter

3 ½ cups water

1 tablespoon instant chicken bouillon

¼ teaspoon garlic powder  (I use more)

2 cups fine egg noodles

1 (10 oz.) package frozen broccoli

2 cups milk

1 can (10 ¾ oz.) cream of chicken soup

½ pound Velveeta Cheese

salt and pepper to taste

In a large Dutch oven, sauté onion until tender, but do not brown. Stir in water, garlic powder and bouillon. Add noodles. Cook uncovered, for five minutes. Add frozen broccoli. (I use fresh broccoli, cook until crisp tender and add broccoli and water that I cook it in.) Return to boiling, cook for three minutes. Stir in milk and chicken soup. Add cut up cheese and cook over low heat until cheese melts, stirring occasionally.

Again, rest in peace Aunt Anna Mae, you will always live in our memories.

11/29/12

Hope your holiday weekend was all that you hoped it would be.  Mine turned out to be greater.  I was expecting a small guest list because of distance and other commitments but had between 25 and 30 for the noon meal. Later in the day another 25 dropped in.  The latecomers were invited to fill a plate with leftovers and I showed them how to work the microwave. A lazy approach but it worked.

On Sunday my sister, sister-in –law and  I  were invited by a family of nieces and nephews to be “special guests” at their Thanksgiving celebration. My niece and her husband from Pennsylvania were visiting her mother, so they chauffeured all of us to the rural home of our nephew and his wife. It was a magical afternoon and we felt privileged to be included.

After a weekend of food and more food, I was captivated with a very simple, low calorie, healthy recipe.  I especially liked the simplicity of the fruit combination with a 5 minute preparation time, which also, sounds attractive and tasty.

                        

FRUIT  MELODY

1 ½ cups strawberries, halved or quartered

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 medium banana, sliced

¾ cup green grapes

1 can (21 oz.) peach pie filling

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Especially attractive in a clear compote dish. I have a deep respect for potatoes, no matter what you do to them. So this recipe jumped from the pages of my book with such vivacity (yes, there is such a word) that I could not ignore it.  I am just as eager to prepare and taste it. Another asset is that there are only five ingredients.

                                    

CHEESY SAUSAGE POTATOES

3 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced

1 pound bulk pork sausage

1 medium onion, chopped

¼ cup butter, melted

2 cups ( 8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Crumble sausage a skillet and add onion. Cook over medium heat until no longer pink, Drain off fat. Drain potatoes and arrange in a 9 x 13 in baking dish. Drizzle with butter. Add sausage and stir gently. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Right at this moment my sister is preparing for surgery for a knee replacement. My heart and mind are full of prayers for a successful venture to free her of much pain and regain mobility.  Her usual comment is “Now I am not sick, I just can’t walk!”