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Products I Like
2009-06-05 14:53:00
EatSmart Nutrition Scales: Although culinary school was a long time ago for me (16 years!) I still find myself breaking out my copy of The New Professional Chef, the preferred textbook and guide for many chef schools. The recipes are some of the best I've ever had and I like to use the pastry and bread recipes in particular. The only problem with that is the recipes ingredients are more often than not listed by weight rather than volume.Being without kitchen scales kept me from making many of my favorites. Lots of the conversions are fairly simple, but the end result isn't always the same. Having a set of scales has made it far simpler for me to replicate those much-loved recipes.The EatSmart Precision Pro Multifunction Digital Kitchen Scale has an extra large LCD readout and a capacity of up to 11 pounds. For something to small, it sure does a big job. It's exact to the smallest amount in both metric and customary units and takes up very little space in my kitche. That was a hug...
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Chicken Spanakopita
2009-06-03 21:51:00
Spanakopita may well be one of the finest foods on this earth. The flaky, crispy phyllo and tangy feta combined with tender spinach and a moist cheese filing make it like no other food. I'm not sure where I got the idea to add chicken, but I did and it turned out really well. There is a single top crust to this as I was afraid the added chicken may make a bottom crust too moist and spoil the whole dish. I might do it again and try the bottom crust, but either way, this was very good indeed.I used a variation of Helene Bozakis' recipe that my mom uses, subbing scallions for the onion, ricotta for cottage cheese, half the spinach and eggs, and I'm starting to think her recipe is foolproof, because it was just as delicious as always.Chicken SpanakopitaServes 8Half of a 12oz box of phyllo sheets1 stick butter-melted1 lb frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed until dry1 bunch scallions thinly sliced white and green parts3T olive oil8 chicken breast filets cooked lightly on both si...

The Daring Bakers' Challenge: Strudel
2009-05-27 06:00:00
*Disclaimer: These photos - oh, these photos - they are just awful. We don't have lighting set up indoors yet and yesterday was the rainiest, gloomiest day ever, so shooting outside was not an option. C'est la vie. Hoping you can still catch what was going on with lousy photography.The May Daring Bakers ? Challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.We were allowed the option of whichever filling we liked, the real challenge being the making of the strudel dough. There were warnings galore about dough with holes and the difficulty of stretching the dough thin enough, so I expected trouble with mine.I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the dough really was to work with. It was amazingly supple and stretched for me very easily. I did use the longer 'setting' time for the dough, more like 2 hours, and ...

Our Favorite Lemonade
2009-05-26 18:56:00
There are some foods the herald Summer like no others: grilled hot dogs and burgers, homemade ice cream, pasta salad and onward, but I don't think anything speaks of Summer more than lemonade. Cool, refreshing, tangy and sweet, it reminds me of hot days on the boardwalk and cool shade in the backyard at the same time.This lemonade is one I've written of before - I can't say enough about it. It's nothing fancy, but it sure is good. The basic recipe is pretty much half the sugar and lemon juice used in many recipes, but only because it's offset so much by the added fruit. If you use a regular lemonade recipe, please take note that it can be very strong tasting after standing for 24 hours.While I most often make it using the recipe below, this weekend I added a sliced peach to the mix and, as usual, it was perfection. You can easily cut the recipe in half for 2 quarts of lemonade.Coleman's Favorite Lemonade Makes 1 gallon1 gallon lemonade (any brand OR see recipe below) 2 kiwi pee...

Fried Scallions
2009-05-24 00:26:00
I love green onions a.k.a. spring onions or scallions, and although there is a slight difference between each, I use them pretty much interchangeably in my cooking. This week, though I stopped by a roadside stand near Kutztown and found lovely bunches of real-for-real scallions and brought them home.Pretty, aren't they? Once I had them, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with them. I prefer the more delicate and smaller green onion because I'm not a huge fan of raw onions in any form. I just couldn't pass up those scallions, though and so I plotted their consumption for a couple days.I decided on a not-so-healthy way to eat them, telling myself that they were fresh and so the dredging of them in breadcrumbs and frying in oil would be canceled out somehow.Oh well, ignorance is bliss.I have to say, scallions do not want to be done up in a standard breading; no way, no how. They are slippery little suckers that don't want to hold on to anything you put on them and so, the ...
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Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale
2009-05-24 00:09:00
I'm getting the word out for Share Our Strength today in the hopes that my small space on the web would help to feed even one child. I've had the privilege to test recipes here at home for a Share Our Strength cookbook and hope to be able to host my own bake sale some time in the near future.Today, more than 12 million children in the United States do not know when their next meal will come. Unfortunately, this number continues to rise as these difficult economic times are leaving more and more people jobless, without homes, and unable to provide food for their families.What can you do?1. Sign-up to host a bake sale: http://www.Great American BakeSale .org/vgab s2. Buy the virtual Great American Bake Sale eBook:http://StolenMomentsCooking.com/vir tual-gabs3. Post a ChipIn widget or banner on your blog:http://www.GreatAmericanBakeSale.org /bloggersMake a difference in a child?s life by signing up and purchasing a virtual cookbook today! 100% of the proceeds from this eBook will benefit ...

Ile de France Goat Cheese
2009-05-22 06:00:00
I'm positive by now that it's no secret that my favorite cheese is goat cheese. A quick search on my blog turns up quite a few mentions of it. So, when I was offered the chance to sample and blog about goat cheese, you can bet I was thrilled. Ile de France happens to be the goat cheese I buy most often and the lovely package I received reinforced that for me.While I've used goat cheese in many recipes, from pizzas to tarts, my very favorite way to enjoy is is with a crusty and warm loaf of French bread, a bowl of tapenade and some good olive oil. I prefer my cheese rolled in herbs or pepper and this time I used freshly cracked garlic pepper to coat the bouchette of cheese in. It was, as always, perfection.The Ile de France website has all you need to know about this wonderfully tangy and creamy cheese - from recipes to pairings to history. Go and have a look and I'll sit back and enjoy my cheese.© 2009 cookingwithanne.com. This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. ...
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Arancini
2009-05-21 17:02:00
Lest anyone think I've not been blogging due to lack of inspiration, I present Arancini to thwart those thoughts. I'm full of inspiration, creating like mad lately, but with very few opportunities to photograph and write. I also had a couple nights of 'no cooking' with meals provided by Omaha Steaks from Martin's Aunt Joan - we even had dessert with them - lovely little caramel apple tarts that were perfect with vanilla ice cream.This recipe for Arancini is my submission to this month's Royal Foodie Joust. Last month's winner, Núria of Spanish Recipes, offered up tomato, bacon and rice as the three ingredients for this month's Joust. My first thought was rice and beans, but let's face it, that's not exactly a winning entry in such a tough competition unless it's presented in a truly fabulous way - which I don't seem to be very adept at. My second thought was rice balls, but not onigiri, which are wonderful in their own right, but not what I was looking for. I had thought...

Veggie Wednesday: Grow Your Own 2009
2009-05-13 18:14:00
My very favorite part about spring here in the Lehigh Valley is the fact that I can once again garden. Each year I also make a point of blogging about it - sharing our bounty through pictures and recipes, and getting the word out that one of the best things anyone can do for our earth is to grow their own food.Without knowing for sure where we would be living, I bought seeds anyway and planned to grow, even if it had to be in containers. To me, it doesn't really matter whether I've grown something in the ground or in a pot, but I do prefer having the space to grow more than a container would allow.I won't have as big a garden as the past few years, but it won't deter me at all. Here is a small sampling of what I'll be growing this year.Dill well on its way.Mint transplanted from my old garden. I was really happy that it transfered so well.Parsley from the old garden. This is having a harder time than the mint, but I'm confident it will take hold and get growing really well soo...
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Lemon Dishes
2009-05-11 19:37:00
I love lemons. I think they're beautiful to look at and the uses for both the juice and rind are endless. They're easily used in both savory and sweet dishes, and I don't know of many people who don't appreciate them.We recently had a meal that was lemon-based and absolutely delicious. We started with a salad made of simple endive drizzled with a dressing of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice and lemon before moving on to a lemon and garlic-roasted chicken and lemon orzo. We ended with my favorite cupcakes, making a fully fabulous sunshiny-lemon meal.Lemon Curd-Filled Lemon CupcakesRecipe for Cupcakes here: http://family.go.com/food/recipe-57 6799-fairy-cakes-t/Recipe for Lemon Curd here: http://cookingwithanne.blogspot.com /2005/09/tea-anyone.htmlPomegranate and Lemon DressingMakes 1 cup8 ounces POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice1 Tablespoon lemon zest2 Tablespoons lemon juice2 Tablespoons olive oil1 Tablespoon minced shallots1 teaspoon honeysalt to tasteReduce pomegranate ju...
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Getting Back
2009-05-09 20:24:00
We are officially moved. Not officially unpacked, but moved. Our new home has many small differences that we're adapting to, but I think we'll be settled in no time.I always find it difficult to get back into the swing of things after having been gone for some time. It's really only been a week and a half since I last posted, but it feels like much longer to me.I think I'll start back with two great gifts I won from other bloggers. The first was a lovely basket full of soy candles from Janine at Things That Make Scents in 'Jersey Shore scents' that I won at Life, Lightly Salted, Michele's blog. These candles smell so wonderful and the fact that they are made from soy (semi-locally, no less) makes them all the more wonderful to me. The basket and colors will go perfectly in the new upstairs bathroom - one thing I was looking forward to here at the new digs.The second was a $50 gift certificate for any one item at From the Farm which I won from Jenn's place at The Leftover Que...
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Summer Cooking Basics
2009-04-28 16:45:00
A couple years ago I started a series of Summer Cooking posts that I intended to space out over the 12 weeks of summer. I've only gotten 6 posts done! No matter, I will get a full 12 in one of these years.We are still moving (to be finished for sure by May 4th - we've had too many snags this time) and until I can fully get back to blogging, I wanted to share those summer cooking posts with you. It's been VERY hot here these past few days, nearing 100F daily. Thankfully we haven't had the humidity with it, but it's still been too hot to cook. So, here is a link to all of those posts: Summer Cooking 101 Enjoy - and see you soon!© 2009 cookingwithanne.com. This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.
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Veggie Wednesday: Earth Day, 2009
2009-04-22 04:56:00
Today is our 39th Earth Day! This is one of my favorite days of the year. I love this earth we live on and I think it's every single earthling's duty to protect our resources and treat this world kindly.One of my favorite ways to 'go green'.My personal favorite ways to do that are growing my own garden, walking or using public transportation as much as possible, using cloth bags or re-using other bags when shopping, eating organic and local as much as possible, recycling and Freecycling and teaching my kids about how to do these things for themselves.The biggest tip I have for everyone when it comes to the Three R's is this: The first R is REDUCE. Recycling is awesome and re-using is great, but reducing what we use is the first and most important R to be vigilant about.I think sometimes people assume that we are super-poor because the kids use their coats for more than one year (mine has gone on 5 years) and they don't have a different pair of shoes for each day. Guess what? T...
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Book Review: Under the Table
2009-04-14 06:00:00
I often receive books for review, not daily, or even weekly, but for a simple food blogger, I get my fair share. I can't say there have been any that I didn't like, but there certainly are a few that I've enjoyed more than the others. Under the Table : Saucy Tales from Culinary School by Katherine Darling is one of the latter.Ms. Darling takes the reader into the dark underbelly of The not-so-glamorous-as-you'd-think French Culinary Institute in New York City. Her fellow students, all true characters themselves, provide fodder for many a story along with the strict and intimidating Chef Instructors that pervade her life for 6 grueling months as she makes her way from fledgling self-trained cook to full-fledged Chef.This is a perfect recounting of all that goes on behind swinging kitchen doors; raunchy jokes, adolescent pranks, secrets revealed and spirits broken. There is no stone left unturned and the retelling of it in Ms. Darling's memoir is nothing short of perfection.It's ...
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Don't Forget About Me
2009-04-08 18:26:00
It's been nearly a week since I posted last and I don't want any one of you wandering off in my absence. We are in the midst of a move. Our landlords, who are missionaries in Uganda, are coming home earlier than expected and we've had to find a new place. We've done that, and now comes the really awful part - packing and moving.I'm just so busy with all of it that I may be MIA from here for a bit. I have several book reviews coming up and a product or two you'll want to read about when I return. In the meantime, check out my older posts and the rest of my site, preferably with a cup of coffee or tea in hand.© 2009 cookingwithanne.com. This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.

Edible Flowers in Aspic
2009-04-03 05:05:00
Many years ago I had the chance to host a bridal shower for my best friend. This very easy to do cheese was a show-stopper. It's so simple to do, but so pretty that everyone is wow-ed by it. This is the perfect spring centerpiece.The best part is, even though it may look expensive, it's actually quite cheap to make. The first one I made was of the whitest cheese I could find, a beautiful goat's milk Gruyere I discovered at the Allentown Farmer's Market. If I recall correctly, that chunk of cheese cost a hefty chunk of change and I decided that from now on, a slightly 'off-white' cheese would do just as well.This one in particular is a simple Muenster cheese that I trimmed of any orange rind and cut into a round with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. I think the effect is quite nice. The flowers are wild violets - a lawn nightmare for some - and can be found growing almost anywhere in warm weather. I found mine on the edge of the sidewalk on a nearby street. The only other must-have ing...
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Leftover Love
2009-04-02 16:27:00
With all that beef last week there was bound to be a leftover or two lurking in the refrigerator. I was given a stipend to create a few beef meals, and in true Anne fashion, I extended that stipend far beyond the intended meals. Some of the leftovers were just a re-playing of the meal it had already been; we had fajitas twice and extra focaccia sandwiches. I made a soup from one of the leftover cuts and this fried rice from the chili-rubbed roast. The rice was leftover from the chili and the carrots and sno peas left from the Very Veggie Egg Rolls. It made a perfect lunch.Leftover Love Fried RiceServes 42 cups thinly sliced beef strips1 teaspoon sesame oil2 Tablespoons canola oil1 cup matchstick carrots2 cups sno peas2 Tablespoons soy sauce1 small clove garlic - minced4 cups cooked white riceHeat a heavy pan on high and add oils. As soon as they start to shimmer, add beef, carrots, sno peas and rice. Stir together quickly. Add garlic and soy sauce and stir to distribute soy througho...

Beef: It's What's For Dinner - Winners
2009-04-01 16:53:00
I had Random.org working overtime this morning picking winners for the Beef : It's What's For Dinner Giveaway. The random numbers (sorry for no screenshot, I'm having technical difficulties today) chosen were 7, 14 and 19.One copy each of The Healthy Beef Cookbook will be sent to Topher and Elle! Congratulations, you two!The $100 gift card and remaining copy of The Healthy Beef Cookbook goes to Kristen. Congratulations, Kristen! I can't wait to see your beef post - I'm sure it'll be fantastic.© 2009 cookingwithanne.com. This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.
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St. Andrè Dessert Tart
2009-03-30 06:00:00
A most delicious and decadent tartIn the world of cheeses there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of richness. That cheese is St. Andrè. Hailing from France (mais, oui) it is a triple crème cheese with a soft rind and a butterfat content of 70% - rich, indeed.St. Andrè triple crème cheese - just starting to soften at the top, if left at room temperature for 20 minutes it will become soft and very spreadable.It pairs perfectly with several light beers and is perfect for spreading on a French baguette. I decided to do something a bit more decadent and designed this dessert tart using this truly luxurious cheese. The crust is very tender and delicate and the filling was perfectly done - not too set, just right. I may make this again with cream cheese replacing the ricotta. Not that it's not divine as-is, but the ricotta makes the texture a bit more grainy than I'd like. I think cream cheese or mascarpone would do very well here.Find out more about St. Andr...
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Peep Jousting
2009-03-29 16:58:00
Easter is a wonderful holiday rich with the new birth heralded by the coming of Spring, the Resurrection of Christ, brand new Easter outfits, newly bloomed tulips, fuzzy bunnies, baskets filled with candy, glistening glazed hams ... and Peep Jousting.I happen to live in the Peep capital of the world, the place where the beloved Peep is made; Just Born, Inc. in Bethlehem , Pennsylvania. Most people enjoy these little guys straight-up and quite a few like them stale, but I prefer them jousting. Yes, it's true - I don't like to eat Peeps. My kids love them and can't seem to get enough, but I like setting up and watching the Peep Joust.Here's our latest Peep Joust adventure:Jousters at the Ready!JOUST!(Laughter and commentary provided by myself, my husband and my oldest daughter)Sadness on both sides...Bloody Aftermath© 2009 cookingwithanne.com. This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are look...
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Beef: It's What's For Dinner - The Giveaway
2009-03-27 11:00:00
It's here! Today is the Beef : It's What's For Dinner Giveaway day.Before we get to the giveaway I want to share links and a couple photos for other beef recipes we made this week.Beef & Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Focaccia with Pesto These were AWESOME! A real must-try.Classic Fajitas Fajitas are always a favorite here, and these were delicious.We also made Chili Beef Express, a tasty and fast chili.On to the giveaway!I have 3 copies of The Healthy Beef Cookbook up for grabs and one winner will receive a copy of the book and a $100 gift card to make their own beef recipe. Check out the cookbook at www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com and look over the lean beef recipes section as well, you'll need some info from there to help you win!Here are the rules:1. Leave a comment with your favorite lean beef recipe from www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com, and your email address if you would like to win the cookbook only.2. The gift card has been earmarked for a food blogger, so if you have a blog...

Daring Bakers' Challenge: Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna
2009-03-27 05:00:00
Here is the Daring Bakers challenge for March, 2009.The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia -Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.I LOVE lasagna and I adore homemade pasta. I've made my own pasta for many years, but this spinach pasta was a true joy to work with. It rolled very easily and once cooked was light and tender. I really enjoyed it and plan to make it again - often. I chose to use the bechamel, but not the ragu in a version of Lasagna Rolls on Sauce Bechamel I've made before. The only real change made to my own filling was the addition of garlic because of the lack of any red sauce this time around. The full recipe for the challenge follows:All recipes below from The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food by Lynne Rossetto Kasper (published by William Morrow and Company Inc., 1992...
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Beef: It's What's For Dinner Part 3
2009-03-26 14:48:00
Here we are at the final of 3 awesome beef recipes, and tomorrow is the giveaway. You'll want to stop in then for details on how to win one of 3 copies of 'The Healthy Beef Cookbook' and a $100 gift card to make your own healthy beef recipe.Today's recipe is Balsamic Marinated Steak & Asparagus. I loved the dual use of the marinade for both the steak and the asparagus. It really brought to two together and made this more of a special meal rather than a usual weeknight dinner.Balsamic-Marinated Steak & AsparagusMarinade time: 15 minutes to 2 hoursTotal recipe time: 25 minutesMakes 4 servingsIngredients: 1. 4 beef round (sirloin) tip side steaks, cut 1 inch thick (about 8 ounces each) 2. 1 pound fresh asparagus 3. 1/2 teaspoon salt 4. 1/8 teaspoon pepper Marinade: 1. 2/3 cup prepared balsamic vinaigrette 2. 2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustardInstructions 1. Combine marinade ingredients in small bowl. Remove and reserve 2 tablespoons. Place beef steaks and remaining marina...
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Veggie Wednesday: Very Veggie Egg Rolls
2009-03-25 17:09:00
I adore egg rolls, and while I usually prefer the pork or shrimp kind, these all-vegetable version are just as satisfying - maybe even moreso knowing that there's no meat in them at all.You can do the presentation like I've done here, by blanching julienned veggies and stacking before rolling, or do it the easy way by following this recipe.Very Veggie Egg RollsMakes 241 small head cabbage - sliced thinly1 large red pepper - seeded and diced small1 small zucchini - diced small1 large carrot - cut into thin matchsticks8 ounces sno peas - diced small1 bunch green onions - sliced thinly, tops included2 cloves garlic - minced1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar1/3 cup soy sauce1 Tablespoon sesame oil1 package - 24 - egg roll wrappersoil for fryingHeat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large pan and add veggies. Cook over medium-high heat until soft. Add garlic, ginger, vinegar, soy and sesame oil. Cook until most liquid is evaporated.Roll about 1/4 to 1/3 cup ...
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Beef: It's What's For Dinner Part 2
2009-03-24 05:00:00
Easy Steak DianeThe second recipe in my Beef Week set is something I really love; Steak Diane. Using a smaller, leaner cut and adding more veggies to the plate is the perfect way to keep this meal healthy without losing any flavor. The sauce was perfect and although I wasn't able to fine the medallions called for, the still lean sirloin steak worked very well here. The steak was fork-tender and the seasonings right on. Yes, the kids all loved it and several of their growing tummies needed refills.A note on steak doneness; when I was in culinary school we were taught to check for doneness in several ways. The most common is to use a thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the meat is correct before serving. We also learned how to check by 'feel'. Although I still do it this way, I recommend using a thermometer for safety reasons. The way that meat looks inside is not always an indicator of proper doneness; a piece of beef can look 'done' and still be under temp and,...
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Beef: It's What's For Dinner
2009-03-23 13:36:00
Ancho Chili Rubbed Roast - that beautiful dark color is not burn - it's the delicious rub.It's 'Beef Week' here at Cooking with Anne, but not like you may be thinking. While many of my recipes come from the family and comfort food angle, the beef recipes I'm sharing this week are actually healthy ones. Be sure to stay tuned all week long for your chance to win one of 3 copies of The Healthy Beef Cookbook and a $100 gift card so you can make your own fabulous beef dinners.I bet you're thinking what I've always thought; "Beef can't be good for you, no matter what." Well, I have been delightfully proven wrong. Consider this: A skinless chicken breast has 3 grams of fat and a skinless chicken thigh has 9.2 grams of fat. There are 29 cuts of beef that fall within the 3 gram to 9.2 gram fat range. No ... really. Go on and check it out for yourself! Amazing, isn't it?And, if you want to know more about eating beef and your health (beyond just the fat label) check out Healthy Eatin...
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Our St. Patrick's Day
2009-03-19 17:15:00
Nary a year passes here without our family celebrating St. Patrick's Day. My husband's family couldn't be more Irish (on his father's side) and my own has a good helping of Dear Old Eire in there, as well.This year, as in many past, it was all about the food. We started the day off with a Full Irish Breakfast - minus the black and white puddings as I would be the only one to eat those, and the cost wasn't something I was willing to pay just for me. Not one of us could finish the whole thing and there were quite a few leftovers from it. No matter, we put those to good use later.Dinner was Colcannon, Corned beef and Cabbage (with potatoes and carrots) and Irish Soda Bread.Colcannon (with bacon added!), carrots, corned beef and irish soda bread peeking out from it all. Irish Soda BreadAfter that enormous breakfast, but before dinner, those of us at home walked downtown to Donegal Square and Moravian Book Shop - two of my favorite places in Downtown Bethlehem. On the way we noticed...
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Grandma's 'Sketti
2009-03-15 17:52:00
This is another of my grandmother's recipes that was never written down and never submitted to a church cookbook. She made it very often when we were younger and it was such a favorite of ours that when she didn't make it one of my brothers would get upset about the missing 'sketti.This is a true comfort food to me. Each time I make it I'm transported to Grandma 's summertime kitchen. The chef in me wants to embellish it; add garlic and Parmesan. If I did that, though, the flavor would change enough that it wouldn't be Grandma's and the comforting effect would be lost.This was beef-a-roni way before it was ever a boxed or canned mainstream product.Grandma's 'Sketti1 small onion - chopped1 pound ground beef1 can (46 ounces) tomato juice (Grandma always used sodium-free because of dietary restrictions, I use the real deal)2 cups uncooked macaroni (elbows) If you want specifics, Grandma used Mueller's.salt and pepper to tasteCook onion and beef together until beef is well brow...

Humble Pie
2009-03-14 22:45:00
My maternal grandmother played a very large role in forming who I?ve become, and although she is no longer with us, she continues to impact me in positive ways. One way is the legacy she left behind with recipes. Grandma didn?t have a book that she kept for herself, but she did often submit recipes to various churches for publication in their fundraising cookbooks. None of her recipes were ever very fancy or spicy or complicated; it was humble food, reflecting the era she belonged to and the area she grew up in. Grandma was a true Midwestern cook; heaping portions of hearty food filled with local ingredients (corn and pork) and served with love. Born in 1908, she came of age at a time when the nation?s economy was at its worst ? a bit like today. Much of her cooking was influenced by lack rather than abundance and this recipe for buttermilk pie reflects that era very well. I will share the recipe how it was originally written and add deciphering notes at the end for anyone ...
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Lime Cupcakes
2009-03-13 03:54:00
A couple friends of mine had a KitchenAid mixer that was given to them by their aunt. Neither of these girls wanted it (can you imagine?!) so they asked if I would like to take it off their hands. Would I? I don't think I will ever be able to afford a KitchenAid mixer in this lifetime, so I accepted and tried not to squeal like a schoolgirl.Once I had my hands on it, I needed to use it. It's like a clean sheet of paper and a new pen, you MUST create - it's simply not possible to leave it alone. So, I created. Nothing fancy or fabulous, but I can tell you this; icing was never so easy to make. These cupcakes are so easy that I feel a bit guilty posting a recipe for them. Here is the 'recipe' (and I use that term very loosely here) for these fabulously delicious (because, they really were) cupcakes.Lime CupcakesMakes 121 box (oh, yes I said BOX - close your eyes and get on with it) white cake mix2 whole eggs1/3 cup oil 1 1/4 cups waterzest of one limejuice of one lime (2-3 Tables...