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Peppermint Creams

Meg has made these several times recently and they are sooo yummy and creamy.  Sort of like a homemade version of York peppermint patties without the chocolate--but creamier and more pure and more delicious.  If you love mints, you'll love these!  Perfect for a Christmas treat (not that far away)!!

Peppermint Cream Wafers (Joy of Cooking)

Makes about 1.25 lbs.

Stir over low heat in a large, heavy pan until the sugar is dissolved:

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Cook and stir these ingredients slowly until they boil.  Cover about three minutes until any crystals on the sides of the pan have been washed down by the steam.  Uncover and cook without stirring to the soft-ball stage, 234 degrees.  Remove from heat.  Cool slightly.  Beat until creamy.  Flavor with:

8-12 drops oil of peppermint

Beat a minute longer to incorporate peppermint oil.

If desireed, you can tint lightly with vegetable coloring and beat a bit longer.  Drop the mixture from a teaspoon onto foil to form patties the size you want.  

YUM!

Recipe links

Here is a recipe for some really good hot dog buns. They don't take much effort at all, would taste great as plain rolls, and have no preservatives. I had one for dinner with a chicken sausage.

I am 99% sure that this is the recipe I used when I made the best sandwich bread ever. It is really good (alone as well as on sandwiches). It's weird but butter doesn't really improve it that much. Just be sure to heat it up some way before eating it if you're not eating it fresh, because it improves it very much. ]

Meg

Menu Plan for July 6-12

After a rather rocky month in June family-wise and thus, meal-wise, I knew I just had to come up with a food plan for this week (and hope that this plan will encourage me to continue to work on a weekly meal plan).  

I asked the Bill and kids to tell me what they wanted for dinner this week.  Everybody got a day to choose a meal (except for little Joseph--he and Paul have similar tastes, anyway!).

Plan:

Monday:  Marie:  Homemade Pizzas (with dough recipe from my kitchenaid cookbook--I always double the recipe).

Tuesday:  Rose:  Spinach Lasagna

Wednesday: Daddy:  Brown Rice w/Chicken and Veggies

Thursday:  Grace:  Flank Steaks with Baked Potatoes and steamed veggies

Friday:  Meg:  Grilled Salmon, Fresh Green Salad, Whole Wheat Rolls

Saturday:  Paul:  Sweet Italian Sausage Links with Pesto and Pasta and french bread

Sunday:  Mommy:  Chicken Fajitas

Phew...now to make the grocery list and head to the store...

Summer Sweets

 

Meg is the snack hostess for her Summer Book Club tomorrow.  So, today she is baking.  Last year, she made these yummy wafer-thin sugar cookies seasoned with fresh lavender from our garden.  They were a big hit. I also sent along our family favorite butterscotch brownies.  

This year she has decided to make  the Pioneer Woman's Spreads and her Oatmeal Crisps.  All I can say is I hope she will let me have a small sample of each.  :)

Easy Lasagna Florentine

From one of the very first cookbooks I got after Bill and I were married:

The best thing about this recipe is that you do not have to pre-cook the noodles.  The key is adding pasta sauce to the bottom of the baking dish.  Here we go; you will need:

2 cups low-fat ricotta or cottage cheese

1 egg

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 32 oz. jar spagheti sauce or 4 cups homemade sauce

9 uncooked lasagna noodles

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

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Preheat oven to 375.  

1.  In a medium bowl, combine ricotta/cottage cheese, egg, parmesan, garlic powder and spinach.  Mix well.

2.  Spread one third of spaghetti sauce over the bottom of a 9x12 pan.  Cover with 3 uncooked lasagna noodles.  Top with half the cheese mixture and then sprinkle with 1 cup of mozzarella.

3.  Spread with half the remaining sauce. Top with another 3 noodles.  spread the remaining cheese miute over the noodles and sprinkle with 1 cup of mozzarella.

4.  Top with remaining 3 noodles, then spreaqd on remaining sauce.  Sprinkle one more cup of mozzarella on top.  Cover with foil.

5.  Bake 45 minutes our until noodles are tender.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

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This is not a gourmet recipe, by any means...but it is delicious and my kids will all eat it...:)

You could make it a bit more gourmet with fresh spinach, fresh garlic and homemade sauce as I have done this in the past...but my kids didn't notice a difference and hey, this is really quick and easy to prepare with ingredients that I usually have on hand!!  :)

Served with homemade french bread and a green salad and you are ready for a feast!

Bulghur Burgers

I love these burgers but rarely make them as I have to head to the store for the bulghur and tahini (don't keep either on hand regularly). I ALWAYS double this recipe so I can have them left-over. I don't serve mine on a bun but serve them as I would a salmon patty with a salad or steamed veggie. Delicious!!

From the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home cookbook:

Bulghur Burgers

3 c. water 2 garlic cloves, minced 1.5 cups of bulghur --- 1/2 c. chopped scallions 1/2 c. grated carrots 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley 1/4 c. tahini 2 T. tomato paste 2 T. soy sauce 1 tsp. Dijon mustard dash of ground black pepper ----------- Bring the water to a boil. While it is heating, use a heavy pan or skillet to saute the garlic and bulghur in the oil on medium-high heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the boiling water. Return to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed and the bulghur is soft but still chewy. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. When the bulghur is ready, stir in the scallions, carrots, parsley, tahini, tomato paste, soy sauce, mustard and pepper. With moistened hands, form the bulghur mixture into 6-8 burgers. cook them in a lightly oiled heavy skillet on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, flipping burgers once when the outside is crunchy, or bake on an oiled baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Easy Chocolate Caramel Turtles

Three years ago when I was doing Weight Watchers during the holidays, my WW leader told us sweet-deprived dieters about these turtles.  They are super easy to make, yummy and only one WW point...:)

You need:

a bag of mini pretzels

1-2 bags of Rolo candies (depending on how many turtles you want to make)

pecan halves

Place pretzels on a cookie sheet--as many as you can fit.  Place rolo on center of each pretzel (the kids are always happy to unwrap them for me--this is great since that part always takes the longest!).  Put in your oven at its lowest temp (for mine it is 170 degrees) and put pretzels in oven for about 4 or 5v minutes--until the rolo begins to look like it is soft but not melted...Then, remove the sheet from oven and press a pecan half on top of rolo, pressing down to flatten.  Repeat until done!  Let harden on cookie sheet (takes at least an hour) and store in airtight container.  

Easy breezy lemon squeezy as my 6 year old would say!   :)

Mom's Famous Snow Biscuits

Summer Menu Plan: Week One

I am not a good meal planner. I try, but usually fail in the planning department. I am trying to menu plan a bit more so I can get dinner on the table with little to no energy even when I feel badly due to pregnancy. It helps to have a gourmet chef-in-training! I am sure if Im feeling poorly, Meg will jump in and take over for me!

This assortment of recipes is a bit odd but hey, I tried to find something that would appeal to my pregnant palate and the family's as well! :) I am a bit starch heavy in the meals below because that is what has been tasting so delicious to me and we are a family who loves bread at every meal!! ;)

Week One Menu:

Monday: Hot Dogs and Hamburgers on grill
--Mom's potato salad
--Fresh Watermelon
--Green Salad
--Smores

Tuesday: Basil Pesto with Italian Sausage
Freshly sliced tomatoes
French Bread

Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner
Blueberry Pancakes
Breakfast Sausage
Fresh Fruit

Thursday: Roast Chicken
Whole Grain Rice
Steamed Asparagus
Rolls

Friday: Spicy Corn Quesadillas w/
Salsa
Sour Cream
Corn Chips

Saturday: Chicken Salad Sandwiches (from Thursday leftovers)
Fruit Smoothies

Sunday: Pork Chops
Roasted Potatoes
Green Beans
Cloverleaf Rolls

Spicy Corn Quesadillas from the Moosewood Cookbook

spicy corn quesadillas

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 medium carrot, grated ~ 1 c.
1 fresh chile, minced
3 c. fresh or canned corn
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1-2 tsp. fresh cilantro
salt and black pepper to taste
1.5 c. grated monterrey jack or cheddar cheese
8 tortillas

Heat the oil in a skllet, and add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the onions begin to soften. Stir in the grated carrot and saute for 2 more minutes. Add the chile or cayene, corn, cumin, coriander, and optional cilatro and cook, covered, for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Add salt and peper to taste and remove from heat. Stir the cheese into the hot vegetables. Cover and let stand for a few minutes, until the cheese partially melts.

Spread filling (about a half inch deep is good) onto half of the tortilla (do not overfill). Fold the plain half of the tortilla over the filling. Lightly oil a heavy skillet and cook quesadilla on each side for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot. Serve immediately! Wonderful with fresh sour cream and guacamole. :)

Make all of the quesadillas immediately and reheat leftovers in the toaster oven (or microwave in a pinch).

from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home