Category Archives: Recipes &Cooking

Poppy Seed Bread

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This bread would be great for the holidays, to give as a gift, or to serve at a wedding or baby shower brunch:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoon poppy seed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

INGREDIENTS FOR ORANGE GLAZE:

  • 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond flavoring
  • 1/4 teaspoon butter flavoring

Combine the first 11 ingredients in a large bowl.  Beat 2 minutes at medium speed.  Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool loaves in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove and let cool completely on a rack.

For glaze, mix the remaining ingredients thoroughly.  Drizzle on top of the cooled loaf of poppy seed bread.

Frito Candy

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I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but it sounds like a great holiday recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 10-ounce package Fritos
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup white Karo Syrup
  • 1 cup smooth peanut butter

Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan.  Pour Fritos evenly in pan.  Combine sugar and Karo in pan.  Bring to a boil for 1 1/2 minutes.  Add peanut butter and stir until smooth.  Pour over Fritos.  Let cool and cut into squares.

Four Foods On Friday 94

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Here’s this week’s questions “From Val’s kitchen”:

1. How do you make mashed potatoes?

I make them from scratch but in an unconventional way to save the vitamin content of the potatoes:  Bake the potatoes first, let cool until peelings can easily be removed.  Then cut into chunks, add hot milk, butter, a little EVOO to balance out the cholesterol from the butter, salt, and pepper.  Mash with a potato masher and use the mixer briefly for 10- 15 seconds.
2. What do you wash pots and pans with?

I rinse the pans after use and then put some water and a little dishwashing soap in the pan if necessary.  If the pan has a lid, I cover the pan with the lid.  I let them set for a while and sometimes overnight.  Then the pans clean up easily by washing in regular dishwashing soap and hot water in the sink.

3. Name something red in your refrigerator right now.

Apples  (I’m trying to eat more apples.  How many of you remember the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away?”)
4. Do you prefer to use boullion cubes or the boullion powder mix?

I rarely use boullion but prefer the powder mix.

Lemon Cake

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This is a delicious recipe from someone very dear to me:

INGREDIENTS:

  • Lemon cake mix
  • 1 small package lemon Jello
  • 2/3 cup oil
  • 3/4 cup boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar, approximately
  • 1/4 – 1/3 cup lemon juice, approximately

Cake:  Mix lemon Jello with boiling water.  Add oil and lemon juice.  Add lemon cake mix and then add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.  Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13-inch pan.  Bake at 300 degrees for about one hour.  Let cool for 10 minutes and then ice with glaze.

Glaze:  Add sugar and lemon juice.  Mix together to your desired consistency.  Pour on top of the cake.

Four Foods On Friday 93

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1. Name one bad habit you have in the kitchen.

I’m sure I have several, but one I have in common with Val is turning the heat up too high.  I’ve been working on turning the heat to medium to begin with and then adjusting as necessary.  I’ve also been trying to remember to put the lid on the pan ASAP to help things heat up faster.
2. Do you have a TV in the kitchen?

No, we never have had one in the kitchen.  I can hear the TV, though, if my husband is watching TV while I’m cooking.
3. What’s one food you can’t stand cold?

Again, I agree with Val.  I do not like cold french fries!  (I also cannot stand cold bread rolls.  Years ago, we ate at a really nice restaurant, and they served cold rolls – like they had been in the fridge.  I should have asked the waiter if he could warm our bread, but it was a special dinner so I just didn’t eat my roll.)
4. What’s your favorite juice?

Definitely fresh squeezed orange juice or grapefruit juice!

(To my fellow bloggers:  I’m having a problem.  Somehow, comments that are left on my blog are not emailed to me like they used to be.  On my admin page under settings, it shows that they are.  Have any of you had this problem?)

Hot Fudge Cake

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I haven’t tried this recipe, but it sounds so yummy!  This would make a great holiday recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar (3/4 and 1/2)
  • 7 tablespoons cocoa (3 T and 4 T)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
  • 1 1/4 cups water, hot
  • whipped cream

Mix together 3/4 cup sugar, flour, 3 T cocoa, baking powder, and salt.  Add milk, butter, and vanilla.  Beat until smooth and pour into ungreased 9 inch square pan.  Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, and 4 T cocoa.  Sprinkle evenly over the cake batter.  Pour the hot water over the batter.  Do not stir!  Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees or until the center is almost set.  Let stand for 15 minutes.  Serve warm, spooning the sauce in the bottom of the pan over each serving.  Top with whipped cream.

Four Foods On Friday 92

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1. Name an orange food you like.

Clementines (Mandarin Oranges)!
2. What’s your favorite color/flavor of licorice?

Red, I guess.  I’m not a big licorice eater.
3. What’s your favorite hot beverage at Halloween?

Apple cider.  It just seems to go with Halloween.
4. Name something you like with pumpkin in it.

Tie between Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Bread.

Four Foods On Friday 90

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Val says, “Hi everybody.  This week I’m asking players to answer 1 question. You’re making an ice cream sundae. What four ingredients do you want in it?”

My answers are:

  1. Ice cream (vanilla)
  2. Fresh fruit (strawberries and bananas)
  3. Chocolate sauce
  4. Whipped cream and nuts

LOL…I know I squeezed in more than four, but this is soooo good!

High Protein, Chocolate Yogurt

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blog-pic-whey-yogurt-cobbler-9-091

Here is a simple recipe for delicious, organic yogurt with high quality protein.  And Stonyfield Yogurt has six different yogurt strains which makes for very healthy yogurt.

Mix the following:

  • * 1 cup Stonyfield Organic Yogurt
  • * 1 scoop Whey Protein Isolates, chocolate flavor (we use Gold  Standard 100% Whey Protein Isolates, Double Rich Chocolate)

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Whey protein is an excellent protein for women going through perimenopause, menopause and afterwards.

Blueberry Cobbler (Can be Sugar-Free)

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blog-pic-whey-yogurt-cobbler-9-09-003

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the cobbler before we had some.  It smelled so good when I took it out of the oven, that I couldn’t wait to have a serving.

This is from a recipe that I adapted.  I made a couple of changes:

  • * I used Stevia to sweeten it instead of sugar.
  • * I used spelt flour instead of white flour.

We were pleased with the results.  Here’s the recipe (you can double it if you want a larger cobbler), and you can make it the original way or with Stevia and spelt flour if you want to make a healthier version:

COBBLER INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen)
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon Stevia – I always use “KAL” brand (or 1 cup sugar)
  • 1/2  teaspoon spelt flour  (or other flour)
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Lightly grease baking dish.  Place blueberries, lemon juice, and vanilla in dish and mix.  Mix the Stevia (or sugar) and flour together and sprinkle evenly over blueberries.  Drizzle melted butter evenly over top and gently mix.  Now to make the crust.

CRUST INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cup spelt flour (or regular flour)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Crisco
  • 5 tablespoons ice cold water

Mix the flour and salt.  Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter and Crisco until pieces are small, pea-shaped pieces.  Then add cold water a little at a time and gently mix to form a ball.  Roll out on lightly floured surface or mash out with fingers to the thickness you want.  Place on top of blueberry mixture.

Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.  Serve warm with frozen vanilla yogurt.