Saturday, August 29, 2009

Best Ever Peanut Butter Fudge

Last weeke we went to our County Fair as part of my birthday celebration. I love the fair, I might as well be party carnie. I have to admit that my favorite part is the fair food. Candy apples, fried dough, curly fries... the list goes on. I think "Fair Season" might be one of my favorites.
There is always a candy booth set up with taffy, fudge, etc. and when I walked by I noticed how expensive it was! I don't know if anyone has tried to buy fudge at a candy shop lately, but it's very very expensive. I've seen it at $15lb for pity's sake! Which is why for the Make it From Scratch Carnival I'm submitting this recipe for homemade peanut butter fudge. It's better than any store bought fudge you could ever find, and much more affordable.
It's easy too, so for those of you who are nervous about candy making, just follow the directions and you'll be fine. I use a candy thermometer just because I like things black/white.. I don't like to have to drop little balls in water to test them. But you could do that if you like.
Peanut Butter Fudge
1 tspn cornstarch
1 Tbsp water
1/2 bag of brown sugar (the 2lb size)
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 c. milk
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbls vanilla extract
8 oz smooth peanut butter. (I eyeball it and just use roughly half of my 18oz jar)
Butter an 8x8" pan. Mix cornstarch and water and set aside. Dissolve sugars with milk and butter in a heavy saucepan with a candy thermometer in it. Heat until thermometer reaches the softball stage or 234 degrees. Stir in cornstarch mixture and remove from heat. It will appear lumpy. Blend in vanilla and peanut butter, stirring carefully until it melts and is evenly combined. Pour into the buttered pan and let cool.
That's it! After it's cool you can cut it into bite size squares and package them up prettily. Then you can give someone the gift of sugar shock because the recipe makes 2 pounds so there's enough to share. Or you can just keep it all at your house and eat it all. I'm not judging you.

Friday, August 28, 2009

I Found A Treasure

I hope you don't mind if in between recipes I throw in a little story I'd like to share about a cookbook I found as a young bride which is special to me. Since the time I was young and had my first recipe card box I have collected interesting cookbooks as a lot of women do.



One day many years ago an older friend of my Mother's happened to be having a yard sale so I went. There laying on the table was an old worn out thick paper parchment recipe booklet bound together with string. A good old fashioned cookbook indeed ! I couldn't contain my excitement at such a find so I grabbed it up and as I opened it I could see it was comprised of many many recipes that a lot of woman had contributed to long ago. Of course we all know they are the best !



As I was thumbing through it she walked over and explained to me that it was her very first cookbook when she was a newlywed long ago. She has since passed on but if I had to take a guess I would say that cookbook would be at least 65 to 70 years old.



It called for a pinch of this and a dash of that in many of the recipes but I was thrilled to get it and over the years many of the cookie recipes have become my favorite ones. One recipe described the molasses cookies as the kind like the bakery makes with the crackly tops.


The fried cake(donuts) recipe became a favorite for our family tradition every fall . We head to the cider mill for a couple fresh jugs of cider to go with them.



Needless to say it had become really brittle over the years though I kept it in a freezer bag to protect it so a couple of years ago as a birthday surprise my dear daughter Traci asked me if she could borrow it if she promised to take care of it and then she took it to the local printer's and had it copied for me page by brittle page so should the book fall apart I will have those recipes. She's so thoughtful and...... she cooks ! I am truly, truly blessed !!!!


Anyway I may just post a recipe or two from that book in the future so stay tuned...... lots more recipes to come and thanks for stopping by.

Karen's Pineapple Weiners

This is another one of those recipes I came up with myself years ago and it was a keeper. They are very popular with the children who over the years have asked for them at their birthday gatherings. The good thing about this recipe is that there really isn't any measuring involved except eye-balling the Karo syrup. It makes a great potluck or party dish. You may want to double or triple it for a large group.

1 large can chunk pineapple in it's own juice, drained and juice reserved
1 pkg.lil wieners (I prefer beef)
1 green pepper, sliced in 1/4 inch rings and then halved to make strips
1 can water chestnuts, drained
1/2 bottle Light Karo Syrup

Drain the pineapple chunks well pressing down on them to remove excess juice in a small strainer over top of a 3 qt. saucepan. Chill the pineapple chunks until your ready for them. Pour Karo syrup in with juice and simmer this stirring occasionally until it cooks down to a thick syrup on low heat about 30 to 45 minutes watching it carefully so it doesn't boil over or overcook. It will become like a sweet and sour glaze. This step can actually be done a day ahead to save time if you prefer and then stored in the refrigerator.

Throw the pineapple chunks and water chestnuts in the syrup and simmer about 10 minutes to reduce syrup down again. In the mean time heat the wieners and green pepper slices through in a frying pan over low heat stirring constantly to remove any liquid from them both.

Add wieners and g. peppers slices to the pineapple syrup mixture and cook for about 20 minutes until thickened and mixture coats wieners. These can be thrown into a small crock pot for transporting.

Oh and we have actually had this as a meal served over some salted rice. These will usually go on sale around holiday time so I stock up on them then.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Melt In Your Mouth Pumpkin Bread

I stumbled across this recipe 25 years ago in a cook book that featured recipes from country inns all across the USA and I was blown away with this moist pumpkin bread when I made it. If you like pumpkin and you like quick breads you're going to love this bread. It makes a wonderful holiday gift and it's great for Thanksgiving Day dinner. Makes 2 loaves.


4 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 16.oz can pumpkin
3/4 cup water
4 cups flour
2 tsps. baking soda
1+1/2 tsps.salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg



Beat eggs till fluffy. Gradually beat sugar in. Blend in oil, pumpkin, and water. Combine dry ingredients and blend into the pumpkin mixture with the mixer. Pour into 2 greased 9 x 5 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick or tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans. Cool completely before cutting. Great served with whipped cream cheese.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Frosting


Here's what you will need to make these yummy rolls. I like to use a clean piece of white thread to cut through them. Slide the thread underneath them and pull the thread upwards and cross it over pulling tight. The criss crossing cuts them more gently.

1 egg (room temperature )
warm water (to make 1+1/2 cups)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1+ 1/2 tsp salt
4 +1/2 cups flour (more for rolling out)
2 tsp.s active dry yeast


Filling

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbls. cinnamon
1/3 cup walnuts (optional)
1/3 cup raisins (optional)


Frosting
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp milk
2 tbls. butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup confectionary sugar

Put the egg in a 2 cup measuring glass and fill this with enough warm water added to equal 1+1/2 cups. Pour into a large bowl and add lemon juice, oil, sugar, salt and yeast. Stir in 2 cups of the flour and beat with the mixer. Stir in the rest of the flour and turn out on a floured board to knead dough till it becomes smooth about 10 minutes.


Place back in the bowl and cover with towel. Set in a warm place and let rise till doubled about an hour. Punch dough down and roll out to 12 by 16 inch rectangle on a floured surface. Spread softened butter on the dough. Mix the cinnamon, sugar, walnuts and raisins and sprinkle this over the butter. Roll up jelly roll style and cut into 24 rolls, 1 inch in size.


Place in a large buttered pan and cover again. Raise about 30 minutes until doubled again. Bake till lightly brown in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.



Make the frosting by melting the 2 tbls. butter, in a med pan. Add 1/4 cup b.sugar to this and heat. Stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp milk. Remove from heat and add confectionary sugar and beat with the mixer until smooth. Let cool to thicken a bit and frost buns. If mixture thickens too much when cooled stir in another drop of milk to get the right consistency.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Make It From Scratch Carnival!

The Make It From Scratch Blog Carnival is being hosted by It's Frugal Being Green this week, and the cooks of Granny's Kitchen submitted the recipe for Chicken Salad Puffs from this post.
There were all sorts of good submissions this week. Look at this pizza crust:



It's a Summer Squash Pizza Crust that was submitted by The Daily Diner, which sounds so interesting and healthy, and yummy too. I think it would be a great way to use up extra zucchini.
Another interesting post was from The Lobster Queen. She gave this recipe for Lobster soup, using the shells to make a broth. We love lobster around here, although we don't usually splurge and buy it.. this might be a good way to make a more expensive item stretch for us.
These are just a few of my favorites so please check out the carnival, there are a lot of recipes shared this week, along with some crafts and other things.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Zucchini Au Gratin

I once had a squash dish like this many years ago at a wedding reception and it was very good so I happened to ask the server what was in it.:) Then like a mad scientist I went to work trying to make it like they did. If your fond of squash it's a great way to use up your zucchini that is so plentiful this time of year.
You will need:


4 medium peeled, sliced, zucchini
1 qt.half and half
8.oz cube sharp cheese,shredded
2 cups cheese flavored croutons
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp.Paprika



Place zucchini in a casserole dish. Salt and pepper the squash. Sprinkle the cheese over top. Pour the half and half over top of the cheese. Sprinkle the croutons around on top and then finish it off by sprinkling paprika over the croutons and bake 45 to 50 minutes until tender and the center is hot. Remove from oven and let set 10 minutes. The croutons help to soak up any excess juice from squash but you also can remove it with a turkey baster like I do or a spoon if necessary.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Easy Crockpot Potatoes

Our family are potato lover's for sure. Any way you slice, bake, fry, or mash them ! And what could make them better but some cheese? So I thought I would post a very simple recipe using a box of potatoes au gratin that I came up with one day while having a family cookout to cut corners and not use my oven. Hope you like them as well as we do.

Preheat your small crock pot on high. Add a box of potatoes au gratin and add the amount of hot water, milk and butter and cheese packet as directed on the box of potatoes. Set crock pot to low setting.


Add;
1/2 cup sour cream
1 small minced onion
1/2 jar real bacon bits
1 cup of any cheddar cheese, Velveeta, or Cheez Whiz , whatever you prefer to use.
1/2 cup hot water

Stir this together and cook about 3 hours on low stirring a couple times untill tender.
Recipe can be doubled for a larger group .

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Childhood Memories With Creamed Macaroni

I believe cooking was in my blood from a very young age. I didn't have the opportunity many young ladies from large families have to learn along side their Moms or older siblings in the kitchen because my Mom just felt like it was easier to just do the cooking herself. Although we all had chores to do such as mopping and the dreaded dishes,(which one time my sister tossed out the back window to get out of doing) the cooking was her job.

She had lost her own Mom as a very young child and was raised by her Dad who was away working on the railroad a lot and so she never learned by a Mother's example either. She did the very best she could to see we had hot meals and at times she struggled to just get food on the table for her eight children . And I'm sure stretching a dollar wasn't always easy either.

I recall a screened in porch with my imagination running wild going through an entire calendar simply picking out all the holidays that you could plan a party around and making menu's and themes to go along with each one when I could barely spell. Of course there were never any of those parties but I sure had fun planning'

It was kind of a challenge in our house to see who could make cocoa fudge turn out amongst my brothers and sisters. Needless to say there were many pans of fudge eaten with a spoon !

But with just one cook book in the house, one burnt hand later I had made my first batch of Rock Candy from sugar ! It was the start of a love for cooking for me which lasted all through my school years with home economics being my favorite subject. I still have some of those recipes from thirty something years ago.

Growing up in a large family was great but times were tough because my Dad worked construction but had to go on unemployment in the winter. She somehow made meals out of the simplest things. Which leads me to the next recipe I am posting. Although it 's not exactly the healthiest recipe I have yet to find any kids that won't eat it. Try it out on a blustery cold day but don't skimp on the butter or salt and pepper or it won't taste like it should.

We loved this growing up and when my older brother left home would still request this for his birthday which we found so humorous. Now I make it for my grandchildren once in awhile too.

When I think back now to the foods we were brought up on I know we were actually eating foods that were so good for us but at the time we didn't quite appreciate the things like beans or rice.

Creamed Macaroni

Cook 1/2 lb. elbow macaroni according to the package and drain well.
Put back in the pan and cover with milk. Add a whole stick (yes a whole stick) of butter.
Add lots of salt and lots of pepper and heat until it's hot but do not boil ! Ladle into bowls and add more salt if it needs it. If your cooking a larger batch you will of course need more of everything.
Hope you at least try it once. And thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me.

Cheddar Vegetable Soup

This is for all you soup lovers ! If you like most vegetables I think you're really going to enjoy this soup. The distinctive garlic flavor sets this soup apart from most other cheese soups . Because it's on the hearty side I like to serve it along side a salad with rolls or muffins. I hope you give this one a try !

2 very thinly sliced carrots
2 very thinly sliced stalks celery
1 small finely chopped onion
1 small clove minced garlic
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1/2 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
3 cups strong chicken broth
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup half & half
1+1/2 cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp orange cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt


Melt the butter in a 6 qt. saucepan and add carrots and celery. Saute for about 5 minutes on medium heat stirring constantly. Add the remaining vegetables and cook another 5 minutes again stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in the flour and cook over low heat stirring for 3 to 4 minutes. Slowly stir in the chicken broth. Add salt and pepper and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender about 20 minutes stirring frequently. Add milk, half & half, and cheese and reheat just until it's hot. Serve. Makes 6 servings

Monday, August 17, 2009

Strawberry Jello Salad

This is definitely not your boring old jello. I served this one holiday and my step son said jokingly that when he died he wanted to be buried in it. That was too funny.
And my husband always says "Don't waste my jello on non-believers !" lol This is a great summer time dessert but can be made any time of year. It can be made with sugar free jello and also fat free sour cream if you are watching your calories. And you only put a small amount of Cool Whip and nuts on it so it's fairly lower in fat. Hope you enjoy it.

2 Lg. boxes strawberry Jello
1 Lg. Can chilled crushed pineapple in juice , with juice drained and reserved
1 Qt. fresh strawberries, sliced
1 8 oz. Cool Whip,any type
1 8oz. sour cream,any type
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 cups boiling water

Dissolve Jello completely in a saucepan on the stove in 2 cups boiling water. Press as much juice out of the pineapple as you can and refrigerate the pineapple. Add the drained Pineapple juice to the jello. Pour into a trifle bowl or oblong dish and cool to room temperature. Stir in the crushed pineapple and sliced strawberries and chill till it starts to thicken a bit. Press the fruit through to the bottom to distribute it evenly through out the jello. Smooth the top and chill 1 hour. Next spread a thin layer of sour cream over it. Then follow that with a thin layer of cool whip. Sprinkle the nuts over top and chill overnight. Garnish with a strawberry if desired.

Chicken Salad Filled Puffs

Fancy a mini chicken salad sandwich anyone? Picture these served with a large glass of ice cold lemonade and a fruit platter on a very hot day. Sounds very refreshing. If you're pressed for time you may purchase your chicken salad ready made from a deli and add a few halved grapes or other ingredients to it as long as you use it within a day. Do not make the chicken salad longer than a day before you intend to use it.

Start with the cream puffs which by the way, may be made the day before for your convenience.

Cream Puffs
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the following in a 3 qt. saucepan to a rolling boil:
*1 cup water
*1/2 cup butter
*Stir in;
*1 cup flour

Stir vigorously over low heat till mixture forms a ball about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Beat in:
4 eggs all at once and continue to beat till smooth and glossy.

Drop mixture by teaspoonful onto ungreased baking sheets and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and dry. Cool on wire rack. Store them in a covered container until your ready to make the mini filled puffs.

Chicken Salad Filling

*2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken
*2 stalks finely minced celery
*1/2 cup green grapes, halved on a paper towel if desired
*1/2 cup mayonaise
*1 tsp lemon juice
*1 tbs. finely minced onion
*salt to taste
*pepper to taste

Combine ingredients and chill right away until you put the mini puffs together.

Cream Puff Assembly
Cut off tops of the mini puffs and fill with a rounded teaspoon of chicken salad. Replace tops and cover with plastic wrap to refrigerate until serving time. Best if assembled as close to serving time as possible. They look great on an elegant platter.

Makes about 40 puffs

These are a great option for bridal showers, luncheons, dish-to-pass events, holidays... any time really.

Enjoy!

Pillow Dogs

This recipe speaks for itself . I prefer to use the all beef wieners when it's possible. They are great for parties or sleepovers.

1 can refrigerated Grand Biscuits
1 pkg. lil wieners
1 pkg. shredded Cheddar Cheese
Squeeze Mustard


Brown wieners slightly. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide each biscuit into 6 wedges. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Flatten and shape each piece into a small rectangle shape to make as many pillows as there are wieners. Dip and press each one into the cheddar cheese. Next take your finger and press down through the middle and push a wiener on top of the cheese in the indent. Bake theses until they are browned about 15 to 20 minutes. Watch them closely so they do not get over baked. Repeat with the remaining pillow dogs.
These will puff up when they bake to look like the wiener is cradled in a pillow.
Next take the mustard and do a squiggle design down the wiener and serve.
Makes Approximately 48

Sunday, August 16, 2009

B B Q Meatballs

When you have ground beef and are in a hurry for a quick dinner these meatballs make a delicious meal. It's definitely one of our favorites. I like to serve them with some buttered garlic noodles and a vegetable. A little dab of the sauce on the noodles is wonderful too. I would however advise you to double this recipe if you have a larger family.
Combine and mix well;
1 lb. leaner Ground Beef
1 Lg. egg
1 Cup cracker crumbs
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 tsp. ketchup
1 tsp. B. Sugar
dash pepper
pinch of nutmeg
Shape into mini meatballs and brown them on all sides over low heat in a covered frying pan .
Mix;
6 Tbls. Brown sugar
3/4 cup ketchup
pinch of nutmeg
2 tsp. Dry Mustard
1 cup water
Pour this sauce over meatballs and simmer on low heat stirring occasionally about 15-20 minutes till the sauce has thickened and glazes the meatballs. Hope you like them.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Recipes from a Friend

Our friend Trina blogs over at All That Is Good, and although she has a wide array of great posts she also posts recipes from time to time and I thought that I'd showcase a few of my favorites that I've dug out of her archives.

Her Cheeseburger Soup is delicious and although that I'm sure many of you are thinking "Soup? In the middle of summer?" Trust me. Cheeseburger soup is good any time of year. And who doesn't like soup and salad as an easy meal?

Which brings me to another favorite of mine. Her Caesar salad dressing. It's sooooo good. And garlicky. And good. And yes I'm aware that spell check is going to jump all over the word garlicky. But I plan on hitting ignore and posting it anyway. Because garlicky should be a word. And once again I'm drifting off track. Back to Trina's salad. I dream of her Caesar salad. It's that good. One Saturday I almost called her to request that it be her dish to pass for church on Sunday. I didn't because.. well it seemed tacky. Luckily great minds think alike and she brought it on her own accord without my pestering.

And why not take some of that Caesar Salad and some grilled chicken and wrap it up in a homemade Tortilla??? Wouldn't that make a delicious lunch? Well. I have to admit that I have not made tortillas, but I have certainly eaten Trina's. And they are very very good. It's hard to argue with the cost effectiveness and healthiness of making them yourself. And the link above gives a little tutorial too.

And I suppose I should end with some sort of dessert eh? So here is her post for Strawberry Shortcake. Yum.

Well, now that I've rummaged through the unknowing Trina's recipe archives I've developed a grumbling stomach! Be sure to check them out yourselves because they certainly are divine.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Garlic Tossed Salad

I'm going to post one of my most requested recipes that I give out over and over again. It's almost addicting to those who eat it. I recall years back hosting my first dinner for my daughter's Mother In Law. Since we are country people and it was winter time I decided on a salad, chicken and dumplings with mashed potatoes along with a dessert that I can't even recall. I served the salad as the first course and she was so delighted with it she actually asked if I minded if she had seconds first . If I take it to a gathering there are never leftovers.

Most recently our daughter-in-law called me again to ask for my "garlic salad" because they had friends come for the week to visit from another state and she wanted to make them this salad. She later phoned to say they had asked for it two days in a row because they so enjoyed it! She said they actually commented in her guest book about it and it was the highlight of their stay!

There is no rocket science to this salad except to remember that the SALT MAKES THE SALAD. I start out using a tsp of salt and when I toss the salad add more if I think it needs more. Don't be afraid to play with it. If you do it right it won't be overwhelming but you will know it's there. I hope you give it a try.

Dressing ;
1 Tblsp. Cider Vinegar
1 tsp. Sea Salt
1 cup Canola Oil
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, minced

Blend the salt, garlic and vinegar together to dissolve the salt in a salad cruet or covered container. Whisk in the oil and chill .

Salad;
Place in a bowl;
1 head lettuce rinsed and shredded or torn
1 pint grape tomatoes, rinsed
1 small onion, slivered

Whisk dressing again before serving the salad and pour over your salad .Taste for added salt and serve.


Please let me know if you try this how you like it. Happy Cooking !

Pork Chops Supreme

Hi everyone. Here is an easy recipe that uses simple ingredients to top a chop so you can just throw it in the oven when time is short.


Take your Pork chops and place them in single layer in a baking dish.
Slice a large onion very thin and place on top of each chop
Sprinkle each chop with garlic powder
Sprinkle a heaping tsp of brown sugar over that
Cover each chop with a generous squeeze of ketchup and spread it over top of the sugar to blend and cover onions. Bake your chops according to the thickness 45 to 60 minutes at 350 degrees until tender.

Some fantastic links

Hello blogland! I wanted to share some foodie links with all of you. Wandering around the internet can be a great way to find wonderful recipes and why not share the wealth with others?

Recently Stephanie at Stop the Ride recently posted a link to a site called Feeding America and I just had to share it here. It's a site devoted to vintage cookbooks. They have them all scanned in so that you can read them in full PDF format or search for a specific old recipe. It's an awesome site.

The next link I wanted to share is from the Sugar Pie Farmhouse. If you've never stopped by the Sugar Pie Farmhouse then you really need to drop in and browse. This particular link is to a Southern Buttermilk Pie recipe. I've never had a Buttermilk Pie but I'm intrigued so I'm going to give it a whirl. What's even more interesting is that she uses a pat-in-the-pan crust so you don't even have to roll it out, which should be time saving. Be sure to check out her blog while you're there too. She's a true inspiration to women who are trying to be better keepers of the home.

And last but not least there's Ryan over at This is Reverb. He's actually a multi-talented Pastor who loves to cook, and has posted several tutorials for different dishes. This link is to his tutorials page but I myself have made a Carbonara which is the same recipe as the one he has posted. It's out of this world. His tutorials are so simply put together that they are easy to follow.

That's all today folks! I hope that you'll follow me on a culinary trip through blogworld again soon!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Chicken Wing Squares

I know there are several versions of this using pizza dough but I use refridgerated crescent rolls for the crust.I also brown the chicken to give it the authentic deep fried flavor of chicken wings and i do not use mozzarella. If you have chicken wing lovers in your home they will enjoy this. It's similiar to a chicken wing dip recipe but the squares are easier to just pick up and eat.And it keeps well at parties. Hope you enjoy it !

You will need 2 rolls of refridgerated crescent rolls
2 Large cooked shredded chicken breasts
1 small bottle red hot sauce-Frank's is the best( or more if you like it extremely hot)
1/2 stick butter
2 8 oz. Phila.cream cheese , softened
2 8 oz.Pkg.s shredded Monterey jack  or Colby-jack cheese
1 clove finely minced garlic (garlic powder works too)

Heat your oven to 350.degrees. Unroll the 2 crescent rolls but do not seperate the triangles.Pinch together all the seams and pat the rolls thin in the bottom of a parchment lined larger jelly roll( or cookie sheet) with an edge to form the crust. Spread the cream cheese evenly over the crust .
Heat the butter in a non stick fry pan over low heat.Turn heat up and stir in the chicken.
Cook stirring every so often till it starts to brown .That gives it the flavor of fried wings.Add the bottle of hot sauce and garlic and spread chicken mixture over the c. cheese. Sprinkle the Monterey Jack over the top and bake for 30 minutes. I like to place it under the broiler to brown the cheese the last 5 minutes. Cut in to squares and serve with ranch or Blue Cheese dressing on the side.

Cranberry Pecan Cookies


Since this was the first real post on this blog, I thought I'd post the recipe that I most recently made. They are Cranberry Pecan Cookies, and they are delicious. A friend shared this recipe with me a few years ago and they have been a favorite ever since. They are really delicious, the combination of ingredients just goes really well together.


Cranberry Pecan Cookies


1/2 c. butter, softened

1 1/3 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c + 4T all purpose flour

1 c. quick cooking oats

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. dried cranberries

2/3 c. white chocolate chips

1 c. chopped pecans

1 tsp. lemon zest

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, & lemon zest; mix well. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, & salt. Add to the creamed mixture. Stir in cranberries, white chocolate chips, and pecans. Roll a rounded tablespoonful of dough into a ball. Place onto lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set and edges begin to brown. Cool 2 minutes before moving to wire racks. Makes about 7 doz.


Note, if you make BIG cookies (I use the big Pampered Chef Scoop) then you would get... maybe 3 dozen out of it. I like big cookies.. mmmm... cookies...

Welcome to Granny's Kitchen!

This blog was started because our family simply has too many good recipes and it really wouldn't be fair to keep them all to ourselves. We share them often, but typing them over and over again into emails and copying down many scribbled recipe cards are not the most efficient ways to share. Which leads us to the birth of this blog.

We (my mother Karen and I) will be periodically posting recipes, links to great food sites, and hopefully a picture or two of our creations. I'd like to think that we could persuade some fellow foodies to guest-post on occasion also.

For anyone who is wondering I will sometimes still be posting recipes on my own personal blog "Occasional Rants, Raves & Praise" but if it's a recipe that is truly worthwhile then I may cross post it here also or just link to it.

If you happen to know my Mama and I in real life, feel free to request a certain recipe and we'll do our best to put it up. Just remember that we are foodies, not chefs, so if something in a recipe is unclear be sure to leave a comment and let us explain ourselves.

Happy Eating!