Nothin' says lovin'...

In the words of that great philosopher The Pillsbury Doughboy "nothin' says lovin' like somethin' from the oven!" In honor of Valentines Day I give you our FAVORITE sugar cookie recipe. Quite a few years ago I was on a mission to find a sugar cookie that we loved. I tried every sugar cookie recipe in every cook book I had, asked family and friends, and scoured magazines while waiting in line at the grocery store(remember how it was before we could go online?). Then our family went to a graduation party, balloons and streamers parted, and garage lights shown down upon Sugar Cookie perfection!!! I hunted down the maker of said perfection, of course it would be the Grma of the graduate. She said "another girl also wants the recipe" that other girl turned out to be one of ours, so I knew we had found "the one". Grma Shirley sent me the recipe and it has remained our favorite ever since.

Grma Shirley's Sugar Cookies

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla (I use 2-3)
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350* Mix ingredients in order. Chill dough. Roll into walnut sized balls(I just use a small ice cream scoop). Dip bottom of glass into sugar then gently press cookie. Bake @ 350* for 10-12 min on lightly greased cookie sheet. Makes 3-4 dozen. For my family if the edges start to brown they are to done. For festive occasions I mix decorating sugar with granulated sugar).

We also went on a perfect cookie press search, and found a vase that works great. I spray the bottom of the vase with cooking spray before the first sugar dip. I now want to go on the perfect cookie sheet search, mine are really old. I though I should just use one of the many jelly roll/bar pans I have, I wasn't impressed. The cookies turned out a little flat and not as many fit on the pan. For now I'll go back to my old ones, they have a seasoned quality.
Happy Valentines Day and let the lovin' begin!!!

If ya can't take the heat...

Grilling out is one way we keep our house cooler in the heat of summer. I would really like one of those green EGG ceramic grills...but here's the honest truth...rarely do I do the grilling. Jon does our grilling and he is pretty much a master at it on our Weber kettle grill. I'm the kitchen prep part of this dynamic duo. Although I'm pretty sure if we had an EGG he would love it...and I would love him loving it. I did decide if I was going to say that we would really love an EGG I should at least make and attempt at grilling a meal or two. So far this summer I've done one meal all by my lonesome.I made pork and grilled corn. I found a recipe for grilled corn with a mayo mixture smeared on, it was really good. Most of the time when we grill there are 2 things that are a grill staple for us, grilled toast, and potatoes on the grill.
When we make Grilled Toast we try to use bread that we can cut thick, I like using sourdough. Butter both sides and sprinkle with Lawry's season salt and grill both sides, so good that even the ones that get a bit to dark get eaten. This year we are using natural lump charcoal, so far we are pretty impressed.

Potatoes on the grill.
Grated potatoes
Thinly sliced onions
Butter, salt, pepper, Lawry's, lemon pepper.
Spray heavy duty tin foil. Put potatoes, onions, butter and seasons on tin foil then wrap up and then wrap with another piece of tin foil. Grill until done. We usually put on before we put the meat on unless we are grilling something that is really thick.

Tastes even better than they look!! The sweet corn is from our garden, we plant Gotta have it from Gurneys and it is by far the best corm we have ever had or grown.

Summer supper out doors...keepin' it cool inside.

Here I am helping clean up(fulfilling my part of the dynamic duo;) in my new apron from Cowgirl Goods, I love it! Oh yea Cowgirl has an EGG, and she hardly uses her oven...yup she's cool.

Touch O' The Green!?!

Are you so impressed with my Burgundy Shamrock?!? I am for three reasons. First off this was a starter from a plant that my sister in law had, I would much rather have a plant that I nurtured as a starter or a cutting. Second it was all a bloom for St. Patrick's Day. Third it is a live...I may have taken some liberties when when I said I nurtured it. I do enjoy plants, I just forget them at times. My brother Rock says I do well with plants that thrive on abuse, and such is the case with this Shamrock. I also have a green Shamrock(a gift from Barb) that thrives on the same amount of neglect...it is what it is...

Irish tradition says that St. Patrick used the Shamrock to explain The Holy Trinity of The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to druid priests. The light bulb went on and the rest is history...Irish history. One St. Patrick's day tradition for us is making pistachio bread , not because its Irish, but because its green...lime green...pale lime green. A little disclaimer, any recipe that has a cake mix as its base is just that...a cake. Maybe by putting it in loaf pans it then becomes a bread, who knows!?!

Pistachio Bread

1 box yellow cake mix
1 pkg. instant pistachio pudding
4 eggs
1/8 cup water
1/4 cup oil
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven 350* (325* for glass) Gently mix all ingredients together.
Grease 2 loaf pans and coat with mixture of:
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Divide batter equally between pans. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of batter. Bake 350* for 45 min (maybe?) use butter knife around edges and tip out of pans. Cool...or not and enjoy!

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Chocolate Cherry Cake was my birthday cake! It is on my list of top 10 cakes, I don't have a #1 favorite, I don't like to limit myself to just one. I was just a kid the first time I had this cake. My Grma Brown had a neighbor, Vel Sullivan, who was infamous for her cooking and baking skills. She would bring this cake to get togethers, and I nearly stood guard to be assured a piece. When Vel, her husband and son first moved down the road from my grandparents they built a garage and lived in that until they could build a house. Vel cooked, baked, and canned on a wood cook stove, and that was in 1973 or 74. We were awed by her talent. When they finally built a new house, Jerry bought her a nice new stove, she did not like it and they moved her wood cook stove into the new house.

Pictured here are Jerry, my brother Rock, Vel(standing), and my Mom. Vel and Jerry came to my Dads birthday party in August. It was so fun to see them again. One of the first things Vel said to me was "WHERE'S Flapper?!?" who is my sister Tami, Flapper was Vel's pet name for Tami, who when she was little couldn't make it 5 minuets without talking...not even for a dollar!!! Willy baked my cake, FYI the picture does not do it justice. Without further delay I give you MY CAKE!!!

Chocolate Cherry Cake

1 chocolate cake mix (devils food-dark is best)
4 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 can cherry pie filling

mix first three ingredients until well moistened
gently fold in cherry pie filling
grease only bottom of 9 x 13 cake pan
pour into pan
bake 350* (325* if using glass) 35-45 minutes
it is done when toothpick comes out clean, but not too clean, it easy to over bake
I cover with a cookie sheet right out of the oven to hold in moister(learned that bakers trick Jon's sister Kaye)
Frost (we cheat here and use a boughten tub of frosting, it is a habit I am intending to break...soon)

Cowboy Cookies

I have a confession to make...I have a thing for cowboys. I think it comes from growing up around... well some cowboys. My Grmpa Ed was a serious cowboy/horse trader/mule team driver and most of my Moms 6 brothers are cowboys in some form or another.

My Dad is a retired rail road man, but as long as I can remember he has worn a cowboy hat, boots, and usually a western shirt. This is my Dad and I at his surprise 70th birthday party in August.

This is my nephew Derrick...yea a really serious cowboy, he is chasing his dreams...he just started a job in Iowa training horses. Grace took this picture of Derrick when he took her for an early morning ride before my Dads party, where we served...

COWBOY COOKIES!!!

2 sticks butter (or 1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco & 1 stick butter)
2 2/3 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tbls. vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
2 2/3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter, sugars, and vanilla, then add eggs. Mix oatmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt then add to creamed ingredients. When mixed fairly well then add pecans and chocolate chips. (I have a big mixer so it does all the work for me/us. If you don't have a heavy duty mixer you may need to finish with your hands). Shape into balls the size of a walnut (I/we cheat/work smarter here also and use a small ice cream scoop) Place on sprayed cookie sheet about 2" apart. Bake in 350* preheated oven for 11-13 min. Cool on baking sheet for 5 min then finish cooling on cooling racks. makes about 4-5 dozen. This is a double recipe, cuz cowboys don't mess around and they freeze really well. They are a dry cookie...great for dipping in strong coffee after one of those long trail rides, or long car ride north.

Now Jon...not so much the cowboy, more like a farm boy. We haven't yet found a cowboy hat that I like on him. He does wear cowboy boots...

...but this is the kind of Mustang he likes to ride!
He is waiting for the paper work(old cars+lost titles=hassle) he will then haul it home and start chasing his dreams, and one day I can say "hey cowboy, take me for a ride!".

Cookie Pudding

I begged was given this recipe from the wife of a pastor we had a few years ago (18 is a few right?). This is one of our "potluck" favorites. The kids will snag some out before it is garnished or hope that some will be left over at parties end. They then hide their little stash in the frig, usually behind something they think the others won't eat (Grace-under the lettuce, Ave-behind the yogurt, Will-butter door).

Here's the goods!! If your a stickler for brand name foods, this is one of those times when it really doesn't matter--also this was last minute so Willy and I went to the local small town Piggly-Wiggly, where you can blow threw a whole weeks food budget on just a few items.

Cookie Pudding
2 small boxes vanilla instant pudding
2 cups butter milk (I have used 3 cups when I've felt the need to make it stretch)
16 oz. whipped topping
2 cans mandarin oranges-drained
1 pkg. fudge striped cookies-crumble except for one row as garnish

Mix 2 boxes of pudding with the buttermilk (it will not be a smooth).

Add whipped topping, crushed cookies (save a row for garnish) and drained mandarin oranges.

Garnish with remaining cookies. Its ready to serve and will keep in the frig for a few days if it lasts that long! I could have zoomed in on just the top, I thought you'd want to see my retro pyrex, that for all my wishin' still hasn't broken.

This is what my Dad would call a "potlicker"

Sauer Braten = Happy Germans

Sauer Braten is a German pot roast, it has a sour taste to it and when cooking it you can really smell the red wine vinegar. We really enjoy it, if it's been a while since I've made it my family requests it like this: We better have Dad (or Grmpa) over for supper and you can make Sauer Braten. They all help-alot, and are more than willing to peel alot of spuds.

Sauer Braten

3-4 lbs bottom round roast
4 tbls. oil
salt & pepper to taste
4 cloves garlic-finely chopped (I use a garlic press)
2 large onions thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
1/2 can tomato paste
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups red cooking wine
2 cups water
1-2 tsp. Lawrys
1/2 cup sour cream

What you see below is a doubled recipe--feeding teenage boys. When I double this I don't always double the cooking wine, I just use 1 bottle of red wine vinegar and 1 bottle of cooking wine. No one has ever noticed the difference or complained.

Braze the roast, 2 tbls. oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Slice onions very thin.

Saute 2 tbls oil, garlic, and onions in stock pot until almost golden, but not to tender.To the stock pot of sauteed garlic and onions add: brazed roast, bay leaves, tomato paste, ketchup, red wine vinegar, red cooking wine, water, and Lawrys. Simmer 1 hour, turn roast, and simmer 1-2 hours.

Remove roast and slice a bit less than 1/2 inch, return to stock pot, bring to boil then reduce to simmer for 1/2 hour. Most of the onions will cook into the mixture.

Add 1/2 cup sour cream, stir in well. You can pull the bay leaves out if you wish, I don't bother.

Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles, my family prefers mashed potatoes . I have never served instant potatoes with Sauer Braten, I think they would be to mushy. I mash the potatoes on the dry side because the sauce is not thick and the potatoes will get soupy. This meal is worth the work. Sometimes I will prepare it part way, refrigerate over night and then finish the process the next day, especially if we have it for dinner (dinner as in the noon meal).

Taste of Brasil

This dish is called Feijao, it was introduced to us by our foreign exchange student Denise. We actually think of her as our Brasilian daughter more than our exchange student. Any-whooo, Feijao is a black bean soup, served with rice and what Brasilians call vingrete. Denise told us that the way to eat it is to put a bit of each on your fork. It's a good combination of flavors and temperatures. Denise also taught me how to make rice -- the right way!! I miss that girl! We are expecting a visit, maybe in July from Denise, her mom, sister, and god parents. We are so excited to see her and meet her family. If you think I spelled Brasil wrong, I spelled it the way the people of Brasil spell it.

Grace eats hers in two piles. One with vinagrete on rice, the other feijao on rice.
Grace in keeping with the spirit of the meal eats hers like Denise did, with a fork and knife. The rest of us use a fork, but that knife thing is a little tricky. The rice helps absorb the juice from the bean soup.

This recipe for Feijoada-here is from cookbrazil.com. It is a little different than the recipe we use and also a different spelling. We tweaked our recipe according to what Denise explained as far as taste and meat cuts.

Feijao -- The Denise way

10-12 cups water

2 bags black beans (need 2 to make it thick enough)

1 ham bone with a good amount of ham still on

1 lb beef tenderloin (I have used left over roast beef)

2 lg onions cut up

salt

pepper

bay leaf

Beef bullion (optional - if ham bone isn't flavorful enough, it bugs me when that happens!)

Wash beans and soak overnight. Rinse beans. Put water, beans, bay leaf, and ham bone in large kettle, bring to boil, reduce to simmer until beans are tender. Here I take out the ham bone and pull off any ham still attatched (I also remove anything that will yuck me out). Add beef, onions, salt, pepper, and here I go with the Lawry's again! Simmer until onions are soft and flavors all incorporated. If you have a small ham bone just half everything.

Vinagrete

1 lg green pepper diced (seeds removed)

3-4 med. tomatoes diced

1 bunch spring onions sliced thin

3/4 cup olive oil

Cilantro - is optional, we don't use it

3/4 cup vinegar (can use less if not a fan of vinegar)

salt

pepper

-we also use Lawry's

The dicing needs to be done pretty small.

Mix all ingredients together.

Rice

4 cups water

2 cups rice

2 tbs butter

1 rounded tbs salt

1 small onion diced (I prefer) or 1 clove minced garlic

Heat water until boiling. Add rice, butter, salt, & onion. Stir.

Cover and reduced to simmer. Let simmer without lifting lid.

Check after 20 or so minuets. Rice is done when tender.

I Know My Rights

#6 on The Midwestern Bill of Rights states that we reserve the right to...Consume a meal that is entirely composed of pale food, including but not limited to mashed potatoes, apple sauce, boiled fish, rice, pork chops, gravy, scrambled eggs, white bread, and lemon Jell-O or vanilla ice cream for desert.

Our supper falls well into the color scheme, Swedish meatballs, egg noodles, corn, milk, and for desert, left over Christmas baking, Russian Tea Cakes, and Lace roll-ups. We did break away a bit with the sweet gherkin pickles. This was to pay honor to our pioneer ancestors, the only green on their tables from October to May was in the pickles they put up. I read that in my Little House Cookbook. Willy made most of the supper. No one guessed that the secret ingredient in the Swedish Meatballs was nutmeg.

Rosette Tutorial (kinda)

I've been making Rosettes for years. I love them, I could eat my weight in them - if it were humanly possible. I looked on-line to check out how other's are making them, I was disappointed. Most sites just had the recipe, but no tips and techniques, so I'm sharing!

Rosettes
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
Lard -- for frying
sugar -- for dipping finished rosettes in

Mix first 6 ingredients until smooth. Let rest until room temp. Don't stir. Skim off foam. Heat lard to 375*-400*. Heat iron in hot lard. Tap on paper towel to remove excess lard. Dip iron into batter. Dip battered iron into hot lard. Hold in for a few seconds and pull away, you may need to use a fork to help rosette off iron. Fry until delicately brown. Turn once. Fry a bit more. Remove. Place on paper towels. Cool. Gently dip in granulated sugar. Store in air tight container.

Tips
*Don't use Armor Star Lard it tends to smoke. I use Snow Cap.
*Skim off foam with a flat end pancake turner so batter doesn't get to stirred up.
*I use clear glass bread pans for batter, lets you see the foam better, and is the perfect size for a double rosette iron.
*I mix 2 batches and put each batch into a bread pan.
*Don't cover iron top with batter.
* If batter "falls off" iron - iron could be to cold - your moving to slow - or the batter is to
saturated with lard and needs to be tossed
*Don't use last 1/2 inch of batter (lard saturation).
*Have a nice stack of plates, it helps with less lard build up.
*After removing Rosette from hot lard, place pretty side up, and don't stack any on top of each other or lard will drain onto the bottom ones.
*I store Rosettes in an ice cream buckets (I have alot of them. I may have eaten my weight in ice cream!)

Well worth the mess and effort!

Willy's Day

Happy 15th Birthday Willy!!!

Will's first gift of the day was a 2 hour snow delay!! He is a great kid!! Willy is a traditionalist, his birthday meal will be the same that he has had for years. Grace and Ave try to persuade him to change things up, but his meal will be "A Boy Scout Meal". Jon had it as a kid when camping on Royal Ranger outings.

------------------------------------------------

Boy Scout Meal

--ring baloney

--eggs

--seasons - salt (use very little), pepper, Lawreys

--cheese

--ketchup

-- toast

Saute ring baloney, stir in eggs that have been whisked, season, stir until eggs are done, add cheese, when that's melted squirt in ketchup until a nice orange-ish color. Serve with toast!

Lefse Memories

We are not Norwegian, but we sure do love our lefse a.k.a. Manna from Heaven. Jon and I started making lefse about 17 years ago. It was truly a trial and error--lots of error endeavour. It became our challenge to get it right. We asked a ton of questions from any one who made the stuff. I even called someone in Milwaukee for advice.

We are now lefse snobs, we are! We think ours is the best we've tasted!
We make it the week before Thanksgiving and supply it for the feast.

This is the first year Jon's mom has come and joined the labor of love.

Jon is the expert roller and fryer!


This year Grace made a move up the lefse latter and rolled and fryed alot. We were also joined by Jon's sisters family and Grace's boy friend Ian. Pictured here Ian, Kaydra (who looks like a porcelain doll and is Norwegian), yes Willy we see you, and Grace. It won't take long and the lefse will be just a memory.

Fall Recipes

Just listening to a little "Blessed Assurance" comfort music--comfort food, good combination!

Squash Soup

Squash Soup
1 lg buttercup squash (my favorite)
1 can chicken stock
Brown sugar
Butter
Pecans
Heavy Cream
Salt
Pepper
Little bit of Lawry's
Clean squash and bake until done (I cut in 1/2 and cover with foil)
While squash is baking caramelize pecans
--melt 2-3 tbls. butter in pan
--add 1/4 cup brown sugar
--stir in pecans
--keep stirring until well covered with a glazey look, cool spread on plate
When squash is done scoop out and mix with stock.
I then put in blender a bit at a time and puree.
Heat well in a kettle, adding salt, pepper, & Lawry's to taste
To serve
--scoop soup into bowls
--pour heavy cream around edges
--sprinkle caramelized pecans on top.
ENJOY!!!

Pumpkin Stew
1 pumpkin - top cut off & cleaned (make sure will fit in oven)
1-1&1/2 lb. Ground beef or any other cubed beef or pork you choose
1 large onion
few potatoes cubed
1/2 bag frozen mixed veggies
Beef bouillon (I get it from The Common Market)
Lawreys season salt
sea salt
pepper
any other season you enjoy or have on hand (the latter usually guides the
flavor of the food I cook)
I try to keep it to a 2 kettle operation.
Place pumpkin in round kettle (hey, is there a difference between a kettle and a pot?)
I use a footless cast iron dutch oven. (gives me that back woodsy feelin')
add 1-2 cups of water around pumpkin.
In large skillet brown meat with onions.
When it's 3/4 of the way done add about 3-4 cups water and all
other stuff including bouillon and seasonings.
Cook until Potatoes are 3/4 the way done.
Give a taste test to make sure you have enough seasons.
Gently scoop/dump into pumpkin
Bake 3-4 hours @ 350* depending on thickness and size of pumpkin. ( I check by lifting pumpkin lid and poking pumpkin on inside. Also check potatoes.)
--This year I used 2 pumpkins that were sm/med size.
--I also used dill--it fell into the "on hand" category. I will repeat
--We bought pumpkins from a local family produce farm, we had planted just carving ones, the skin is not tough enough to withstand he baking process or the scrap out when you dish up. They had painting pumpkins that were thick skinned. Next year will plant thick skinned flavorful pumpkins made for eatin'!!

Pumpkin Stew

Pumpkin stew is a tradition at our house. We skipped it a couple of years, Grace requested that it be reinstated, and so it was. We scoop out a chunk of pumpkin along with veggies, potato's, onions, ground beef, broth, & seasonings. Good tradition food!