Fall is sneakin' up on us!

Tomorrow is the official GO day for Fall, not sure I'm quite ready. I really love Fall with the colors and cool nights, really ideal weather for me.

Yesterday was Rissa's shower, we had 30 people there and it went very well. She got some great gifts and it was just a relaxing fun day. Her new family is great, they are welcoming her with open arms, but then...what's not to love?
We did a dessert bar instead of typical cake, mints, etc... What a spread! Here is a photo of the table. One of the last minute things I threw together (because I was afraid there could be as many as 50 people) was a cinnamon/sugar pretzel. These were a hit! They bake in the
microwave - so cooling them off takes longer than preparing them. Give it a shot, I don't think you'll be disappointed.




CINNAMON SUGAR PRETZELS
1 pkg 15-18 oz butter braid pretzels
2/3 cup veg. oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Put pretzels in a large microwave safe bowl. In a smaller bowl combine oil, sugar and cinnamon; pour over pretzels and toss to coat. Microwave uncovered on high for 2 min then stir. Microwave another 3 min and stir again. Pour out onto a cookie sheet to cool and store in an airtight container.

Husker Victory!

I'm still relishing the game last night, Nebraska opened their season with a sound victory. So I didn't have to worry the night before, now I know. Some improvement to be made for sure, but a good solid start. Way to go Bo! We watched the game outdoors with our card club friends, what a beautiful night it was!

I have been researching new recipes and found a way to make zucchini that really rocks. I don't care much for zucchini unless it's totally immersed in chocolate brownies, cake, etc.... fried left me cold, just such a funny texture when it's cooked to much. I discovered the ONLY way to make it as far as I'm concerned, it reminds me of my favorite Chicken Parmesan recipe that I make and crave quite often. I hope you have a chance to try it out while the farmers markets or your own garden are still offering zucchini. Look for one that is no larger than 6-8" long and smaller around than 2", it will turn out so much better. Those big ones are only good to hold a door open!

Baked Zucchini Crisps
(This recipe is enough for about 3 people as a side with a meal)
1 med. zucchini - or 2 smaller
2 Tbs melted butter
1/4 cup crushed cornflake crumbs
2 Tbs grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic salt
I like to partially peel the zucchini but leave every other strip on for the color, then cut into 1/4" circles . Melt butter in microwave in a bowl, and in another dish combine cornflake crumbs, cheese and garlic salt. Make sure both sides of your zucchini get a bath in the butter, then roll in the crumb mixture. Place circles on a sheet pan that has been lined with parchment paper. If there is extra crumbs put them on top of the zucc's before you bake it. Oven should be 375* and they will bake for 15 min. They smell lovely....don't over bake them because they will turn to mush!

Did you know that Kellogg's Cornflakes come in a box that has them already crushed? I found it by breadcrumbs at Walmart. AWESOME!!















Hope you are all enjoying a relaxing Labor Day weekend! I start school Tuesday, looking forward to it :-)

College Bound

Our best friends Bill & Nancy have just gone through one of the big stages of life. Their youngest son Eric has gone away to college. No matter how much you prepare for that separation - it catches you by surprise and takes your breath away. Nancy is a great cook, I love eating meals with them! One of her first thoughts was if she knew how to cook for just 2 people....I'll admit I struggled with that same concept when we were left alone with no extra mouths to feed. Being the planners that we are, we decided to dedicate one night a week to cooking for each other. Last night they came to our house for supper, and next week we'll go to their house. I LOVE IT! I made a no fail baked steak that you can have prepared ahead of time so that you can just enjoy your company. Perfect for a Fall or Winter meal with some mashed potatoes...yum.

BAKED ROUND STEAK

1 med onion
2-3 lb beef round steak (I used a beef sirloin ball tip)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 Tbsp Worcestershire
1/2 can milk

Spray a 9x13" pan with Pam, then cut the onion into 1/2" slices and spread them around the bottom of the pan. Cut the steak into serving size pieces, dredge them in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper and brown them on both sides in a skillet with veg. oil. Place browned steaks on the onion and top with the mushroom soup that has been mixed together with the Worcestershire and milk. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350* for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until tender. This makes a gravy and smells sooooo good. When I bought my meat the round steak was actually more expensive than the beef sirloin so I switched it up. Sirloin is more tender anyway and they were nice thick pieces, about 3/4" I'd say.

We also had mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, garlic rolls & fresh garden tomatoes. I'm looking forward to next Tuesday to see what Nancy has up her sleeve!!

I want to cook!

I am so excited about recipes this week, I have rediscovered my love for searching and trying new ideas! I'm feeling good yet on my meds as we continue to discover what my new "thing" is, and this unseasonably cool spell we've gotten here in Nebraska has made me want to bake and cook like a crazy woman.

About a year ago I found a granola mix at WalMart that I fell in love with, they sell it by the bakery. I would splurge and spend almost $4 for a small tub when I felt like treating myself. I've always been watching for a homemade version and think I might have found something similar. This recipe resembles a boxes cereal more than the crunchy mix that sticks together a bit more. I think the next time I make it I'm going to double the syrup recipe and see if that makes it more of a grab and go treat. In any case, I do like the finished product....I just had a bowl of it for breakfast and I LIKED it!

GRANOLA MADE EASY
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup water
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
7 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups pecans (break into any size pieces you like)
dried fruit of your choice - I used about 1/2 -3/4 cup of craisins

Mix brown sugar, water, butter & honey in a small sauce pan. Bring to a low boil. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon & vanilla. Pour over oats and pecans that have been placed in a large bowl and stir till evenly coated. The original recipe said to add the dried fruit after it was cooked and cooled, but I added mine with the oats and nuts. Also you can use toasted almonds or whatever type of nut you like best. Spread into a 9x13 pan that has been lined with parchment paper. I had the paper come up the sides of the pan a bit so that I could stir it without losing cereal under the paper. Bake at 375* for 10 min. Take out and stir, then return the pan to the oven. Turn off the heat and go to bed! Wake up to a delicious granola breakfast. Store this in a tightly sealed container.

Sinful snack mix anyone?

My good good friend Kristin makes this snack mix, it's decadent! Here is the list of what goes in and you can pretty much pick what you do and don't like. Quantities are up to you as well. I'm putting this together for friends tonight that are getting together for a back yard fire. I know it will be well received! The candy corn really makes it feel like a Fall treat. Keep in an airtight container if there's anything left (tee hee).

2 boxes of *Kudo's (variety pack is fun)
1 or 2 bags of candy corn
1 bag plain or peanut m&m's
1 bag Reece's Pieces
3/4 bag of pretzel sticks
Cashews or peanuts

*Kudos is like a granola bar type snack

Cut each Kudo bar into 5 or 6 bites, then just start adding whatever else you want.

Summer is sneaking away.

August has just a couple of precious days left. We have had a whirlwind of craziness this summer. Mike had a work related surgery the end of May that found him recovering for 4 weeks at home. That was followed shortly by my discovery that I quite possibly have Crohn's disease. Symptoms not typical in my mind for this thing, mostly I suffered with such an incredible cough that I was only sleeping 3 hrs a night. Sleep is as precious as gold when you are not able to get it...I was a basket case. Further tests with a pulminologist (sp?) ended up with a referral to a GI guy in Lincoln. After an endoscopy, a colonoscopy, a lung CT and some other fun stuff I've been told I have a small airway lung disease, that is most likely thanks to Crohn's. Further blood work and tests will confirm this at some point, but that's where we are now. Life sure can throw you a curve ball when you least expect it. Now you know why the long absence from this hobby of mine. Not much cooking, but a lot of wonderful support from family and friends. I am so blessed.

Once the Dr. got me on a billion Mg's of Prednisone my energy level is back and I'm cooking again. A few days ago I made a Shepard's Pie, that's what I'm posting today. For my birthday last Tuesday I made my annual chocolate chip cheesecake, delish! That recipe is already on this blog somewhere, if you haven't made it you really should. I'm also waiting for a lady to supply me with the end of her little cucumbers so I can make the pickles I posted earlier in the summer. My daughter made the recipe and I loved them. Salty, but in a good way. This shepherds pie is a spin off of Rachel Rae's version. I changed a couple of things to make it more "me". It's a big batch, we've been eating it all week :-).

SHEPHERDS PIE
2# potatoes - peeled, cubed and boiled until tender
1/3 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. margarine
salt and pepper

1 1/2 - 2 # ground beef
1 small onion - chopped
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup beef stock
2 tsp Worcestershire

1 package of frozen mixed vegetables - microwaved until just tender
8 oz grated cheese (optional)

After the potatoes are cooked drain them and mash them together with the sour cream, & margarine; season with salt and pepper.

Brown the ground beef with the onion while potatoes are cooking. Drain off any grease and set aside. In the same skillet melt the butter and add the flour stirring for 2 min. to make a roux. Whisk in the beef stock and Worcestershire, stir while this thickens for 1 min. Add the cooked ground beef back into this sauce and stir to coat meat completely.

In a large pie plate or another dish of comparable size place the meat in the bottom. Top this with the cooked mixed vegetables, and sprinkle with a couple of hands full of cheese. Now spread the mashed potatoes over the top and smooth it out so that it seals up all around the dish. Bake this for 30 min. @ 350* and top with a few small pats of butter when it comes out of the oven. The potatoes should just be a little golden when you take it out, oven time may vary.

Mike is making some pickled jalapenos sometime soon, we'll let you know how they turn out!

Where did July go?

Hello out there, it's me... remember me? July was a lost month I'm afraid. I've had one of my "sick spells" as Mrs. Cravats used to call it on Bewitched when I was growing up. I found out I don't have asthma, hoooray! I do however have a supersized case of acid reflux that I'm trying to leash. This monster rears its ugly head in the form of sinus problems, which leads to bronchial problems, which leads to breathing problems, etc... not the typical acid indigestion you hear of. I require much sleep these days and little activity, not to mention 4 prescriptions. My days of rest are coming to a close - so I hope and pray that Dr. K is able to get me on the path of happiness once again.

My poor Mike has not had much home cookin' lately. I did manage to make a pan of bars tonight, and I think they turned out very well.

Rhubarb Dream Bars
2 cups flour
10 Tablespoons powdered sugar (I intended to measure that out in a cup measure, but didn't sorry)
1 cup real butter (2 sticks)

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
3/4 tsp. salt
4 cups diced rhubarb (I had only 3 1/2 cups rhubarb in my freezer so I added 1 cup of frozen blueberries. If you have fresh ingredients, all the better!)

Combine flour, powdered sugar and butter. Mix and pat into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350* for 15 min. Beat eggs, then add sugar, flour, salt and mix well. Fold in rhubarb. Pour over crust and bake for an additional 45 min. Store in the fridge when cooled. Really good!