turkey barley soup

leftover turkey, diced finely, maybe 3 cups give or take

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

few stalks shredded/sliced celery

1 or 2 chopped onion

1/2 to 1 cup pearl barley

chicken broth to cover above ingredients

salt and pepper to taste

2 or 3 bay leaves

1/2 tsp each poultry seasoning and sage

Very slowly simmer together all afternoon. Serve with sour cream and mozza and parmesan cheese. We just love this soup. It's so simple and delicious. Last night I added some shredded potatoes that needed using up and that worked too.  What makes this soup so good IMO is the sage and poultry seasoning. It would work to quad this and can it.

(I'm realizing just how difficult it is to write my recipes down; I do NOT measure much at all! Hope you can use these.)

coconut butter

hard margarine or real butter and soft margarine to equal about 1 1/2 cups

1/2 tsp coconut flavoring

1/2 cup icing sugar

2 Tbsp honey

Whip all together and serve with warm fresh bread or hot toast. If you have Torani Coconut syrup, use just butter and syrup to make a fabulous spread.

cinnamon butter

A mixture of either real butter or hard margarine and soft margarine to equal about 1 1/2 cup

2 Tbsp honey

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Whip all together and spread on fresh bread or toast

maple butter

Take a blob of butter or hard margarine that has softened, as well as some soft margarine to keep it soft once you've refrigerated it again. This amount should total (together) approximately 1 1/2 cups. It's not that fussy. Add 1/4 cup maple syrup or if you have that Torani coffee syrup in maple flavor, put in about 2 squirts. Whip together and serve with fresh bread or toast. I actually think that if you don't have either syrups use maple flavoring and 1/2 cup icing sugar and a Tbsp honey.  This is sooo good!

three cheese bread

3/4 cup lukewarm water

1/2 cup creamed cottage cheese

1/2 cup shredded Swiss/mozza/cheddar cheese (your choice)

3 Tbsp parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp lard

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 cups white flour (I added a bit more as it mixed as it was too soft)

2 tsp yeast

Mix on dough setting in your bread machine. Pan into individual loaf pans and let rise. Bake @350F for 20 minutes. This was my favorite of the three types of bread I made yesterday. (See last two posts as well as this one.) It was so moist and is still fabulous a day later.

cracked wheat bread

1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

2 Tbsp powdered milk

1 1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp lard

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups white flour

3/4 cups cracked wheat

2 tsp yeast

Mix as you usually would in your bread maker on dough setting. Pan into individual loaf pans. Let rise and bake @ 350F for 20 minutes. I braided these loaves and then sprayed them with Watkins version of "Pam" and sprinkled cracked wheat on top before baking.

caraway rye bread

first of all, this recipe is mixed in the bread machine, then panned into those nifty little individual loaf pans.

1 1/4 cup lukewarm water

2 Tbsp powdered milk

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp molasses (next time I'd use a bit less)

2 Tbsp lard

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups white flour

3/4 cup rye flour

1 Tbsp caraway seed

2 tsp yeast

Mix as you would according to your bread machine instructions. Punch "dough setting" and leave it for the next couple hours. Pan into individual loaf pans. Let rise and bake @ 350F for 20 - 25 minutes. This bread is heavy but pungent and best fresh with soup. I sorta babysit my bread maker and as the dough is mixing I keep checking it to see if I need to add miniscule portions of flour or water so it is just right! This is probably cuz I don't measure accurately AT ALL. I go by "feel". When I serve these loaves, I place little cutting boards and knives by each place setting along with a little pat of butter in a dipping bowl. If you can't find cutting boards, make them outa pieces of smooth wood. That's what we did. And I use steak knives.

Whipped Sweet Spuds (with sour cream variation)

4 1/2 cup sweet potatoes (peeled, cooked, mashed)

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

3/4 cup margarine

3 eggs

1/2 to 3/4 cup milk or cream or evap milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

cinnamon (optional)

TOPPING

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

6 Tbsp melted margarine

3/4 cups flour (can be part rolled oats)

Whip first 7 ingredients till fluffy. Put in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake 1/2 hour @ 350F to heat through. Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle over spuds. Bake another 1/2 hour or till golden brown.

OKAY PEOPLE! I came up with a new and better version!

SOUR CREAM WHIPPED SWEET SPUDS

Do same as above recipe only put in 1/2 cup margarine and replace milk with sour cream. MMMMMM!

so caloricious and scrumptious and better than ever. I claim this as MY OWN RECIPE NOW!!!

Simple Chicken Gumbo

All along I've thought of Gumbo as a "special" meal, a little difficult and a whole lot GOOD! BUT. It's easy. Here's my latest version and it's simple enough for any ol' week day supper. Remember...all measurements approximate.

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup flour

2 lb sausage

7 chicken breasts

6 celery stalks

2 smallish onions

5 garlic cloves

4 cups chicken broth (or more)

salt and pepper to taste

Make very brown roux with flour and oil. One recipe says till it's the color of a copper penny and another says melted chocolate. You've gotta be a little careful as it burns easily. So stir it constantly till it's brown. In another pan, saute meat. Add to roaster of roux. (Or crockpot) Saute veggies in same pan and add to the rest of the stuff. Add broth and salt and pepper. Slow roast it till suppertime. Serve in pasta bowls over rice. We had a side of apple/whipped cream salad served in pretty footed bowls last time we ate this. Some folks add gumbo seasonings but we can't get those here. So we simplify and we love it anyway. They say the REAL secret is browning the flour dark enough anyway, not the seasonings, so... (Creole food.)

grace's bread (one version of the many)

I measure almost nothing when I make bread, so all measurements are extremely approximate, and in fact, may change with the day or the stuff on hand. Say I'm outa' honey, well I use what I do have and maybe add some sugar or maybe go less sweet that time...whatever my mood tells me to do!

 7 cups hot water

2/3 cup honey

2 or 3 Tbsp instant yeast (more if using whole wheat flour or cracked wheat or other paraphernalia)

big splash vinegar (this is never optional; definitely better bread if you use it.)

2 Tbsp salt

3/4 cup lard

3/4 cup powdered milk

7 cups whole wheat flour (unless I'm using organic whole wheat flour, then I use only wh. wh. flour and no white stuff.)

white flour to finish

I have never figured out if there's a better order than this to mixing the ingredients, but this is how I often do it. Pour water into Bosch bowl. Add honey, vinegar, salt, powdered milk and 7 cups flour. Mix really well. Add lard. Mix well again and then add the rest of the flour. I occasionally use traditional yeast and what I love about baking day in this case is the wonderful yeasty smell in my house. Instant yeast lacks a lot when it comes to aroma, IMO, anyway. Let dough rise twice, pan into 5 large loaves and rise again. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F.

copper penny carrot salad

2 lb sliced carrots, cooked 5 minutes, drained, cooled

1 red onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 rib celery, sliced

Marinade:

1 can tomato soup

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp mustard

salt and pepper

3/4 cup venegar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix all together and refrigerate overnight. Drain before serving. Will keep several weeks in the fridge, but I've never tried it! Always gets gone way too soon.

~any left over marinade after veggies are gone may be used as a dressing for tossed salad.

~may add small pieces steamed cauliflower

Sharla's Bread Sticks with my own twists and turns

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp onion salt

1 cup very warm water

1 Tbsp yeast

1 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp oregano

garlic powder and other good seasonings that I find in the spice rack

1/4 cup oil

2 to 2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup margarine

 fresh shredded Parmesan Cheese

Italian seasoning or oregano or whatever spices look good that day!

Measure first 9 ingredients into Bosch bowl and beat until soft to medium dough is achieved. Let rise; punch; rise again. Melt 1/2 cup margarine in 13 x 18 pan in oven. Roll dough out and lay on top of melted marg. Flip dough so both sides get buttered. Sprinkle with last two ingredients. Cut into strips with pizza cutter and let rise again. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Great with pizza sauce. 

SIMPLIFY! dump all ingredients into bread maker and set to "dough" and let it do the mixing and rising work for you! 

I've never made good bread sticks. Until now.

the absolute best baked cheesecake from Wyl

CRUST

1 1/2 cup chocolate wafer crumbs or graham crumbs (to match chosen flavor)

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup softened margarine/butter

Combine crumbs and press into 9 inch springform pan. Set into fridge to chill while mixing filling.

FILLING

3 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese (softened)

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

TOPPING

1 1/4 cup sour cream

3 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla. Pour over crumbs. Bake 45 to 50 minutes at 350F. Remove from oven. Mix topping and pour over cheesecake. Bake 8 to 10 minutes more.

FLAVORS

Mocha: Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips and whip into batter along with 1 heaping Tbsp instant coffee or espresso powder (my favorite!) dissolved in 1 tsp water. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter: Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 3 Tbsp peanut butter and swirl into batter.

Plain: Add 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice to batter. Eat as is or top baked cheesecake with your choice of toppings. (pie filling, thickened sweetened fruit, caramel sauce, etc. Sky's the limit.)

Laurie's Celebratory Pumpkin Dip

1 can pumpkin or two cups pumpkin puree

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or 1 tsp cinnamon, sprinkle nutmeg, cloves, allspice to taste

1 box instant vanilla pudding

2 cups whipped cream or Cool Whip

Whip 1st 3 ingredients together an fold in whipped cream. (Whipped cream so much better than Cool Whip IMO, Laurie! With all due respect!) You can fill a hollowed out (small) pumpkin and fill with dip. Make tiny gingersnaps and duck them into this and indulge. This was a smashing success when we had a few children over after school for Tanner's birthday.

canned brown beans

My Mother-in-law is my go-to source for all canning advice. Here's how she cans pinto or other dried beans using the canner method.

1 1/4 cups dry, washed beans

1 tsp salt

chunk of onion

garlic clove

Place ingredients in quart jar and fill to neck with water. Hot water bath 3 hours.

OPTIONS: To make Mexican Canned Beans add jalapeno pepper strips, a handful of fresh cilantro, cumin, chili and whatever seasonings your heart desires to each jar before processing. I tried red pepper flakes in a couple jars and that added a nice colorful speckle to it. 

Frozen Grape Decorations

Impale red and green grapes on skewers and freeze. when you are serving a clear beverage such as punch or iced tea, place one skewer into each glass. Float individual frozen grapes in pitcher of same beverage.