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Recipes
As long as I can remember, I've loved to read. And after breaking free of the mental fog induced by education and career ambitions, I realized how much I loved to write. Then, a few years ago, I uncovered another passion: cooking! My husband and I are discovering the joys of fresh fish, homemade pasta and cilantro straight out of the graden. All those meals of Kraft dinner - what was I thinking? Below are a few family recipes. As my husband and I experiment, I'll add our own concoctions. (By the way, there's a reason you don't see shrimp with pesto pasta on restaurant menus. It's just not right.) Broccoli Salad 2-3 large bunches of broccoli, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 lb. crumbled bacon
Add salted sunflower seeds to taste
Dressing - add just before serving
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tb. cider vinegar
My husband, Jon, who isn’t a broccoli fan, loves this salad. Add enough bacon and sugar to a vegetable and he’ll chow down. We were served this by the wife (thanks, Cris) of one of his good friends and before we got up from the table Jon was elbowing me to beg for the recipe. Two things are kind of a pain—one, cooking the bacon (I hate cooking bacon) and two, chopping the broccoli up into those teeny tiny bits. Other than that, it’s a breeze and a definite crowd-pleaser. Oyster Dressing 1 pint shucked oysters (or more, if you really like oysters)
4-8 TB butter or margarine
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 sleeves of soda crackers
1 cup milk Heat oven to 350 degrees. Get out your favorite casserole dish and butter it generously. Cover the bottom with crackers crumbled to pieces roughly 1/2 inch in size and place one layer of oysters on top. Add some salt and pepper. Cut off bits of butter and spread over the oysters. Add another layer of crumbled crackers, then another layer of oysters. Add more of the salt, pepper and butter. Repeat until you run out of room (or oysters, whichever comes first). Top with more crumbled crackers, salt, pepper and butter. Evenly pour the milk over the casserole to make moist. Bake uncovered 35-40 minutes. Tortilla Pizza Friends recommended this as a camping food, cooked over a grill, but we use the mosquito-free oven and it turns out just fine. Serves 1 2 8-inch Flour tortillas Spices/herbs as desired. Try some or all of these: Pizza toppings as desired. I suggest some or all of the following: Place pizza stone in cold oven. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Top tortilla #1 with a thin layer of mozzarella cheese, put tortilla #2 on top. Spread enough tomato sauce over top of tortilla #2 to make you happy. Sprinkle with enough spices and herbs to keep you awake. Add enough pizza toppings to fill your tummy. Top with more mozzarella cheese, plus some asiago or parmesan if you have it (and more spices/herbs if you’d like). Slide onto the hot stone and cook for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Pull stone out of the oven and place on hot pad or cooktop. Let it rest a couple of minutes, then slice into wedges with knife or pizza cutter. Sounds like a great lunch to me! German Pancakes This recipe came from my younger brother's third grade classroom cookbook. If anyone can tell me whose mother sent it to school, lo these many years ago, I'll gladly give her credit. And no, I don't know what's German about them. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt margarine in 9x9 pan. Mix remaining ingredients until batter is smooth. Pour into pan - do not stir at this point! Cook for 20 minutes. Serve with syrup. Or not. I like 'em naked, myself. This serves two adults. I've successfully doubled this recipe, cooking it in a 9x13 pan. The alternative name for this dish is "Monster Pancakes." If you cook it, you'll know why. Hady's Christmas Cookies My maternal grandmother's recipe. This is the hands down favorite Christmas cookie in my family. Mix ingredients. Roll out on floured surface with rolling pin, cut with cookie cutters. Bake on greased cookie sheets in pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees. Frost with butter cream frosting and decorate with colored sugars. Garmie's Christmas Cookies My paternal grandmother's recipe. My dad's personal favorite - mine, too. I've been known to make these for Valentine's Day. And Easter. And Flag Day. And... Mix. Let stand in refrigerator overnight. (That part is VERY important. Don't skip it.) Roll thick - at least 1/4 inch - on floured surface and cut with cookie cutters. Bake on greased cookie sheets in pre-heated approximately 15 minutes at 375 degrees until bottom is golden brown. Note: This dough is very crumbly. When you take it out of the refrigerator, let it warm up. I take a ball of the dough and heat it with my hands before rolling. After cutting with the cookie cutters, lift the cut dough off the counter with a floured pancake flipper of some sort. Frost with a mixture of milk and sifted powdered sugar. Decorate with colored sugars. Janet's Oatmeal I got fed up with paying top dollar for prepackaged flavored oatmeal and decided to make my own. Took a few tries to get it right, but this isn't half bad, if I say so myself. It's my breakfast six days a week. Mix ingredients together and cook in microwave on high until hot - 1 to 2 minutes, depending on your microwave. Top with blueberries, strawberries, bananas, or whatever you have around the house. |
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