Showing posts with label Mom's recipes. Show all posts
Simply Simple Green Beans
in Beans, Mom's recipes, Side Dish, Vegetables on Wednesday, April 4, 2012
I’m not sure which fresh vegetable I like most in the summer time. It could be green beans or sweet corn or maybe tomatoes. They’re all great but green beans just might be my favorite.
There was a time I liked green beans out of the can and gussied up a little bit. Mom always canned the beans years ago and they were great but not the same as various commercially canned green beans. None of it can compare to fresh green beans though!
I remember many years ago when Dad started planting broccoli. I was used to frozen broccoli and was surprised how different it tasted straight from the garden. The same can be said for green beans.
Anyway, my way of cooking the green beans is probably Southern but this is the way Mom made them and the way we enjoy them. You can’t get much simpler than this recipe with just bacon grease, salt and pepper. I have a hard time controlling myself when I start eating these and don’t know when to stop sometimes. And, I love them leftover, if there is any!
Green Beans
Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed, snapped in half and washed
1-2 tablespoons bacon grease
Salt and pepper, to taste (I use McCormick’s Seasoned Pepper)
Method:
Fill large pan with water almost to level of green beans.
Add bacon grease, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium low.
Cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
The only thing that would make this better, is adding new potatoes!
How do you like your green beans: with bacon, a ham hock, bacon grease, butter, garlic or maybe just S&P?
Cucumber Tomato and Onion Salad
in Cucumbers, Mom's recipes, Onions, Salad dressings/Vinaigrettes, Salads, Tomatoes on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Salads are a hit in the summer and this is one of my favorites that I prepare quite often. I usually make it with a red Spanish onion but did not have one in the refrigerator so I used a Vidalia onion. It’s sweet and just as good but doesn’t have the great red color of the Spanish onion.
Our farmer’s markets are just starting to have wonderful produce. That’s surely one of the best things about summer ~ the abundance of delicious fresh vegetables. The local sweet corn was planted ahead of schedule this spring so I am hoping it will be available soon and stay around for a long while!
Mom made this salad many times in the summer and this is her way of making it: For crisper, crunchier cucumbers, soak the sliced cucumbers in salt water with ice for 2-3 hours, drain well. Combine the cucumbers and onions; allow them to marinate in the sugar syrup. The longer they marinate, the better it is. Make it early in the day and by dinner time it’s perfect. It can be made a day ahead of time also. Mom did not add tomatoes; I usually do just before serving.
Cucumber Tomato and Onion Salad
Ingredients:
2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced very thin
1 large onion, sliced very thin
1 large tomato, peeled and cut into chunks
½ cup sugar
¾ cup white vinegar
¾ cup water
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
In a large bowl, add some salt, water and ice.
Add sliced cucumbers and let soak for 2-3 hours.
Drain and rinse well.
In a saucepan add sugar, vinegar, water, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 2-3 minutes to dissolve sugar.
Layer cucumbers and onions in a large bowl.
Pour sugar syrup over cucumber mixture and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Add tomatoes and combine.
Serve
Serve
Pam’s note: Many times I make this using Splenda. Substitute the sugar with the equivalent amount of Splenda. Combine the Splenda, vinegar, water and salt and pepper. Stir, with a whisk, until the Splenda dissolves. Do not heat the mixture! Pour over the cucumbers and onions; refrigerate. I use a couple of teaspoons of McCormick’s Seasoned Pepper for a little kick. Add the tomatoes and combine before serving.
It’s a great summer salad! ENJOY!!!
My BLTE, not your BLT!
in Bacon, Eggs, Entree, Mom's recipes, Sandwiches, Tomatoes on Thursday, March 1, 2012
What, no egg on the BLT?
I grew up eating bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwiches with an over-hard fried egg in the sandwich. This was the way Mom always made them and I thought that was the way everyone ate them!
This is probably our favorite sandwich in the summer time next to a burger! The egg added to a BLT makes a huge difference and is definitely a great meal. I usually serve this for supper and not much else is needed, maybe some potato chips and a good garlic dill pickle. It’s a very filling, delicious sandwich!
BLTE’s were new to Bill until I prepared it one evening for supper after we were just married. He LOVED it! Then, when his parents visited us in Louisville
And, speaking of potato chips, there is one brand you must absolutely try! I was hooked on Conn’s Potato Chips after having them for the first time years ago at my brother’s house in Lancaster , Ohio Conn Conn
There’s nothing like a great fresh tomato from the garden and a BLTE ~ plus Conn
My BLTE’s
Ingredients:
6 slices bacon, fried crisp
2 eggs, fried over-hard
2 large slices tomato
Lettuce
Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
4 slices bread, toasted
Method:
Fry bacon crisp.
Break eggs in skillet; puncture yolk, fry till done on one side, flip, fry on other side.
Assemble the 2 sandwiches.
Enjoy!!!
How do you make your BLT?
Spinach Balls
in Appetizers, Mom's recipes, Parmesan, Side Dish, Spinach, Stuffing, Vegetables on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
This is another of Mom’s recipes. It’s simple and makes a delicious dish.
OK, maybe the name doesn’t make your mouth water but, read on. Spinach is not the only ingredient in them. There is stuffing mix, Parmesan cheese, butter and seasonings all mixed together, formed into meatball-sized balls and baked. This dish works well as a side dish but makes a really savory appetizer along with your favorite dip.
I remember when Mom first made them years ago. These little spinach balls disappeared fast and I thought there were about as good as candy. Even if you don’t like spinach, I bet you will like these as there is not really a strong spinach taste.
One thing that is great is that the spinach balls may be made ahead of time and frozen. If they are solidly frozen, allow a little longer baking time. They’re great!
Spinach Balls
Ingredients:
2 packages chopped spinach, cooked and drained well
2 cups Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Mix
1 onion, chopped
1¼ sticks butter, melted
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon garlic powder
½ salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Method:
Slightly cook spinach and drain very well.
Mix all ingredients together.
Take up mixture with a scoop.
Round into meatball-sized balls.
Place on cookie sheet and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Delicious!
Mom’s Roquefort and Watercress Dip
in Appetizers, Cream cheese, Mom's recipes, Roquefort, Vegetables, Watercress on Friday, February 10, 2012
With barbecue season getting in full swing, we all need appetizers to serve our guests and this is a great recipe of Mom’s. She made it many times and we always thought it was a wonderful thing.
If you love Roquefort cheese the way I do, this recipe is a must try. It is delicious served with raw vegetables, particularly mushrooms and cauliflower. Besides the Roquefort and watercress, the dip is packed with good flavors such as cream cheese and Tabasco
Watercress is a fast-growing aquatic perennial plant and is one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by people. It has a peppery, tangy flavor and if you’ve ever attended an afternoon tea, you’ve probably enjoyed it in those dainty tea sandwiches.
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ROQUEFORT AND WATERCRESS DIP
Ingredients:
½ pound Roquefort cheese
1 cup finely chopped watercress
Couple of dashes of Tabasco
¼ pound cream cheese
1 cup heavy cream
Method:
Cream Roquefort and cream cheese together until soft and smooth.
Add cream until mixture is of a dip consistency.
Add Tabasco
Fold in chopped watercress.
Prepare platter of raw vegetables: cauliflower, mushrooms, carrots, celery, zucchini, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes.
Place dip in center of platter and surround with vegetables.
Serve
It’s delicious; try it for your next party!
Mom’s Buttermilk Biscuits
in Biscuits, Bread, Buttermilk, Mom's recipes on Sunday, January 15, 2012
Honey dipper
Marc O'Finley
This was one of Mom’s favorite biscuit recipes. In fact, the recipe card looks well used with many splatters on it. It was biscuit paradise every time she baked them.
There’s nothing that says homemade quite as much as fresh, flaky biscuits straight from the oven. These are the warm biscuits you set out wrapped in a napkin and piled high in a basket ~ the kind you want to slather with butter and then pour on the honey or a teaspoon of jam. Or, maybe you just want them for sopping up the gravy!
These biscuits are so easy to make and so tenderly delicious that after baking them, you will declare them you’re one true biscuit to go back to time and again. There are few ingredients with the perfect combination to enable them to raise high and mighty. You’ll just have to make them yourself to find out amazingly delicious they are!
Mom’s Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup shortening
2/3 cup buttermilk
Method:
Heat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt.
Work in the shortening with a pastry blender, two knives or your fingers until a coarse meal.
Add buttermilk, stirring until just combined.
Knead dough on a floured surface 10-15 times.
Roll out dough 1/2 ” thick.
Cut into rounds.
Place on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes until lightly browned.
Makes approximately 15 biscuits
Ummm, ummm, good!
Mom’s Quick Streusel Coffee Cake
in Breakfast/Brunch, Cakes/cupcakes, Coffee Cakes, Mom's recipes, Sour cream, Streusel on Tuesday, December 27, 2011
The subject was coffee yesterday so today it is time for a good coffee cake to go with the coffee. I love coffee cake with this being a great one since it is as the title says: quick, plus easy and delicious. This coffee cake of Mom’s is moist with the addition of the sour cream and a treat for the morning or any time.
Speaking of “easy”, this is how easy it is: after dealing with 11” of snow in our driveway, we came inside and I put this coffee cake together in just a few minutes! How easy is that?
Mom’s Quick Streusel Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
1 stick butter
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cups flour sifted
3 teaspoons baking powder
Streusel Topping:
Ingredients:
½ cup pecans, chopped finely
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Cream 1 stick butter with ¾ cup sugar.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing all the time.
Add vanilla.
Sift baking soda, flour and baking powder.
Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream.
Pour half of the mixture into a greased 8”x8” pan.
In a small bowl, mix streusel topping ingredients: nuts, ½ cup sugar and cinnamon.
Sprinkle all but 1/3 cup of streusel topping mixture over top of batter.
Spread remainder of batter on top.
Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup of cinnamon sugar streusel topping over all.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Serve this and watch it disappear from the plate!
P. S. By the way, it is still snowing with 3” more expected today. Wish you were here to enjoy the snow and the coffee cake with us! Tee hee!!!
Mom’s Penuche
Merry Christmas Everybody!
Say it with me, “Peh-noo-chee.” Or, do you call it brown sugar fudge? Mom always called it penuche but, some people call it brown sugar fudge and that describes it spot on. It is either a New England or a Southern delicacy and the origin of it is unclear.
This is an old recipe that Mom used during the holidays when I was young and it is undoubtedly one of the sweetest confections you will ever put in your mouth! Penuche is a form of fudge, except that it does not include chocolate and is lighter in color than fudge while being extremely sweet. Penuche tastes like a very rich caramel. You make it by heating sugar and milk to the soft ball stage, letting it cool briefly, and then beating it until it is smooth and creamy. Mom usually added chopped nuts walnuts but, that is optional.
Then, you get to the “workout” segment of it when you have to beat it! It has to be beaten vigorously and it will make your arm feel like it is going to disintegrate but, you have to persevere! Better yet, have someone handy to be your back-up and take turns at it. It will definitely build those biceps up!
Penuche has an intense brown sugar buttery taste that is very dangerously addicting! It would make a great home-made Christmas gift if you and your family don’t devour it first! There is nothing else quite like it!
Mom’s Penuche
Ingredients:
3 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
¼ cup light corn syrup
¾ cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup walnuts or pecans chopped, optional
Mix all of the above together in a deep heavy sauce pan. Using a candy thermometer, cook to 238 degrees.
Cool to 110 degrees.
Add vanilla.
Beat until stiff and mixture begins to gloss, about 10 minutes or more.
Very quickly stir in the nuts.
Pour into buttered 9” pan.
Cut into squares when firm.
Penuche is the perfect remedy for your sweet tooth!
It will make you drool!!!
Have a Wonderful Christmas!!!
Mom’s Pecan Dreams/My Favorite Christmas Cookie!!!
in Bars/Brownies, Christmas cookies, Coconut, Cookies, Holidays, Mom's recipes, Pecans on Friday, December 16, 2011
I love this time of year as it gives me an excuse to bake a lot of cookies for family and friends. What would Christmas be without cookies?
These Pecan Dreams were my favorite Christmas cookie when I was growing up and to this day ~ they are still my favorite! I could hardly wait for Mom to bake them when I was a kid and I could probably say the same for my brother Jim. I always knew that Christmas was getting really close when Mom would pull out the bag of coconut and the package of pecans. The wafting aroma in the air as they are baking is indescribable! I love coconut and this cookie reeks of coconut!
Mom’s Pecan Dreams has two layers. The light bottom layer made with butter, confectioner’s sugar and flour has an almost cake-like delicious texture. The top layer is a combination of brown sugar, pecans and coconut; common ingredients, but just the perfect combination for a melt in your mouth cookie. They are lip smacking good!!!
Mom’s Pecan Dreams
Crust ingredients:
½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 cup sifted cake flour (a must!)
Cream butter, add powdered sugar and cake flour. Mix well. Spread in bottom of 13" x 9" Pyrex baking dish.
Filling ingredients:
2 eggs
1 ½ cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped pecans
1 ½ cups flaked coconut
Beat eggs till light, add brown sugar, blend well.
Add flour and baking powder. Mix well.
Blend in pecans and coconut.
Pour over first mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cut into squares when cool.
It wouldn’t be Christmas without Mom’s Pecan Dreams!
Pam's note: So sorry. I originally had the wrong size baking pan. It should be 13" x 9".
Be sure to check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking. She is hosting a Tate’s Bake Shop giveaway!
Mom’s Rhubarb and Apple Pie
Its spring, time for rhubarb!
Who said pie is just for dessert? I highly recommend eating pie for breakfast! Guess it may be a little indulgent but pie is at the top of my food list and it has to be nutritious with having all the food groups ~ flour, fruit, fat; right? The problem is, sometimes it doesn’t last in this house for much more than a breakfast or two!
Recipes for rhubarb and strawberry pie are plentiful but, have you ever tried a pie of rhubarb and apples? You are in for a great sweet treat if you’ve never eaten it! Mom baked many rhubarb pies and I especially think this one is great with the apples. I love the way the sour rhubarb mingles with the sweet apples, providing great texture also.
The earliest records of rhubarb go back to 2700 BC in China Europe in the 1600’s and finally Benjamin Franklin brought rhubarb seeds to the North American east coast in 1772. It really was not widely used until the 1800’s when it became a popular ingredient in, you guessed it ~ pies!
Now, tell me: do you eat pie for breakfast?
Mom’s Rhubarb and Apple Pie
Ingredients:
1½ cups rhubarb, diced
1½ cups apples, peeled and diced
¼ cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
Pastry dough for 2 crust 8” pie
Method:
Prepare pie dough and line bottom of 8” pie pan.
Dust rhubarb and apples with flour.
Mix with sugar and salt.
Place fruit mixture on pie dough in pie pan.
Dot with butter.
Place lattice crust on top of pie filling.
Bake in hot oven, 450 degrees for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30 minutes until golden.
Set on wire rack to cool.
Pam’s note: See my easy pie crust recipe on the Nov. 17, 2009 post.
There’s nothing better than a slice of a home-baked pie with fresh fruit!
Snowballs Mom’s Way
These snowballs are like a winter wonderland; they are delectable and you don’t have to do any shoveling!
This is an elegant “heavenly dessert” that Mom prepared for dinner parties during the holidays. I have no idea how she came upon this recipe ~ I just know I love the result! They are soooo delicious if you love sweet luscious pineapple, angel flaked coconut and fresh whipped cream. They look similar to a Hostess Sno Ball, only larger and taste a hundred times better.
The preparation is a little time consuming; however, the good thing is that they can be assembled a day ahead of time. The day before serving, crushed pineapple, chopped pecans and powdered sugar are combined, then spread on 3 stacked vanilla wafers and covered with coconut on serving day. They’re a great “make ahead of time” dessert and scrumptious beyond words!
Snowballs
Ingredients:
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, well drained
½ pound (2 sticks) butter
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
4 eggs yolks, 4 egg whites
1 cup ground pecans
3 pints whipping cream
Vanilla wafers
Angel flake coconut
1 tablespoon milk
Day before serving:
Drain crushed pineapple. You have to end up squeezing it in your hands.
Cream butter and sugar.
Add egg yolks, nuts and pineapple.
Beat egg whites till stiff.
Fold egg whites into pineapple mixture.
Put 3 vanilla wafers together with pineapple filling: place one wafer on plate, cover liberally with filling, stack another wafer on top, cover liberally with filling, place a third wafer on top of the stack.
Place them in a pan and set in refrigerator overnight.
Next day:
Beat whipping cream until stiff.
Put wafer stack on a spatula.
Cover all but bottom with stiffly beaten whipped cream.
Sprinkle with coconut.
Place in refrigerator till serving time.
Pam’s Notes: This recipe takes 1 ½ boxes of vanilla wafers. The recipe can easily be halved. If you wish, the coconut can be tinted for a festive look: In a baggie, mix 1 tablespoon milk, a couple of drops of red food coloring and 1 package of coconut together. Let dry overnight.
An amazingly delicious holiday dessert!!!
Be sure to enter my Tate’s Bake Shop giveaway that was posted on December 3rd!
Also, check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and cookbook giveaway!
Pearl’s Walnut Caramels
in Candy, Holidays, Mom's recipes, Walnuts on Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Home Made Candies
Giclee Print
Woohoo!!! Now is the season, with Christmas in the air, to start thinking about Christmas cookies, cakes and other goodies. Right now, I’m thinking about candy, as in caramels and I have a great recipe if you’re a fan of caramel and walnuts.
Pearl, a friend of Mom’s, gave her this delicious caramel recipe many years ago and Mom made it for Christmas every year. It’s hands down one of the best homemade candies; rich with cream, having an excellent caramel flavor chock full of walnuts.
Actually, they should be made all year instead of just at Christmas! They will melt in your mouth!
Pearl’s Walnut Caramels
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups corn syrup
1 cup butter
2 cups cream
1 cup English walnuts, chopped
In a 3-quart saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and butter.
When mixture comes to a boil, add cream.
Cook to firm-ball stage on thermometer, 248 degrees.
Add walnuts, stir well.
Pour out on buttered 8” square pan.
When it cools down and is slightly wet, score into squares.
When firm, cut into squares.
Wrap each square individually in wax paper.
Store at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Nothing beats fresh homemade candy for a treat!
Mom’s Sweet Pickles from Dill Pickles
in Condiments/Pickles/Relishes, Mom's recipes on Monday, December 5, 2011
Have you ever tasted a pickle made in this fashion? I don’t even know how to describe the taste other than to say they are incredibly delicious! They do not taste like a dill pickle nor do they taste like a sweet pickle. They are a totally unique pickle!
I remember these pickles from my early years when Mom made them and what a treat they were. I wanted her to make them much more often! They are like candy, I kid you not!
These pickles are easy, easy to make, there is no canning and all of that involved. Just empty the dill pickle jar, cook a little brine with spices, plunk them back in the jar and refrigerate. That’s it! They’re done! I love all pickles but these are truly my favorite! Try them; they just might become your favorite. They are just so different. You have to try them if you’ve never tasted them! If you love pickles the way I love pickles; believe me, you will love these pickles!
Sweet Pickles from Dill Pickles
Ingredients:
1 quart whole dill pickles
2 cups sugar
½ cup vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed
Method:
Pour off juice from pickles.
Soak pickles in water for a minute.
Drain well.
Drain well.
Slice pickles into halves or sticks.
Place pickles back in jar.
Place pickles back in jar.
Mix sugar, vinegar, and seeds in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil.
Pour over pickles.
Refrigerate.
Best to let them set for a day before eating.
Best to let them set for a day before eating.
EAT and ENJOY!!!! They are addictive, I’m telling you! YUM!!!
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