Four Foods on Friday #36
By Elizabeth | July 4, 2008
Four Food Questions courtesy of Val from Fun, Crafts and Recipes.
#1. Name your biggest cooking influence.
#2. What is your ultimate comfort food?
#3. Name one must have tool that you think every kitchen should have.
#4. Share a time saving tip.
#1-Because my Mother didn’t teach me how to cook, I have learned everything I know about cooking and baking from cookbooks, articles in magazines, and the Internet. My number one source for cooking help is the original Betty Crocker cookbook.
#2-My ultimate comfort food is a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, eaten right out of the container!
#3-A serrated bread knife not only cuts through bread and rolls without tearing, it also makes paper-thin tomato slices, cuts gooey grilled cheese sandwiches in half, and cuts the crusts off of bread slices. Everyone should have a good serrated bread knife!
#4-Although I am still working on this myself, my time saving tip is make a menu and a grocery list and stick to it when you shop. You can plan every meal ahead of time right down to snacks, and post it on the fridge so when your kids complain that there is “nothing to eat”, you can point to the plan and say “here is what you are eating”. I spend way too many weeks “winging it” and I feel so much more in control of my kitchen when I make a plan!
This post brought to you by Four Foods on Friday.
Topics: Four Foods on Friday | No Comments »
Stumble it!
Cookbook review-101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes, with 2 recipes!
By Elizabeth | July 3, 2008
Deliciously Easy Cookie Recipes
Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!
Everyone loves warm, homemade cookies that are so fresh that they melt in your mouth, but no one 
loves the hassles involved with baking. Sure celebrity chefs make it look easy to effortlessly whip up a plateful of delectable cookies without breaking a sweat, but in reality it isn’t so easy. The average baker does not own obscure kitchen utensils, cannot locate hard-to-find ingredients, and does not have a team of assistants who do all of the hard work. Lucinda and Heather Wallace, the authors of 101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes (January 2008; $16.95; ISBN 1434821749), recognized that real people cooking in the real world wanted great tasting cookies that could be created effortlessly. It was for this reason that they wrote this collection of deliciously easy recipes.
Written in an easy-to-follow, conversational tone, this cookbook contains recipes that are so easy to follow that bakers of all levels will have no problem baking cookie after delectable cookie. Each and every user-friendly recipe contains ingredients that can be found in any grocery store and that can be created using common equipment and kitchen gadgets.
Chapters include No-Bake Cookies, Roll-Out Cookies, Shaped Cookies, Drop Cookies, and Bar Cookies. A wide range of deliciously easy recipes are included from ultra-simple Chewy Chocolaty Butterscotch Bars and Chocolate-Topped Peanut Butter Bars, that can be prepared without even turning on the oven, to Sweet Graham Scotchies and Oranges and Cream Cookies that require no more effort than dropping spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets. Recipes such as mouthwatering Root Beer Frosties and Frosted Maple White Chip Cookies are also included for when bakers are feeling a little bit more adventurous and would like to top off their creations with a scrumptiously sweet helping of frosting.
Log on to http://easypeasyrecipes.com to access a free selection of recipes from this title to try and enjoy. I’ve got two here that you can try right away!
Colossal Double Chocolate White Chip Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chips
1 cup chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. In a large bowl, cream together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat eggs and vanilla extract into butter mixture. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Stir in milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chips, and nuts. Drop by level 1/4-cupfuls, about 2 inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown. Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Oranges and Cream Cookies
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2-3 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 package (12 ounces) white chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in egg and orange peel. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in white chips. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Mmmmm, Cookies!
Topics: Cookbooks, Cookies | 1 Comment »
Mmm, Cheeseburger!
By Elizabeth | July 3, 2008
I made this with preformed burger patties that were on sale at Meijer, but seasoned them with Mrs. Dash Steak Seasoning which I received for a product review. It gave the burgers a nice kick without being too spicy. Topped with a Kraft Deli Deluxe cheese slice, then I topped mine with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard, AND mayo! I wanted it DELUXE all the way! Doesn’t this look good?
Topics: Beef | 3 Comments »
Menu Monday-June 30th 2008
By Elizabeth | June 30, 2008
I’m using recipes from the August 2008 issue of Taste of Home Simple & Delicious to plan this week’s meals. Why they sell an issue in June that is labeled August is beyond me. My plan for this week:
Today-I was in the mood for fried chicken, so Chris picked up KFC on the way home along with their mashed potatoes and gravy, and I steamed frozen peas for our veggie.
Tuesday-”Greek Chicken Dinner” I’m not sure what makes this Greek exactly, but it’s Yukon Gold potatoes, a cut up chicken with the skin removed, onions, garlic and seasonings cooked in the crockpot. It looks delicious! I’ll add baby carrots to the recipe and serve it with dinner rolls.
Wednesday-”Ham and Cheese Casserole” Cooked egg noodles, cubed cooked ham, Cream of Chicken soup, frozen peas (thawed), milk, butter, and shredded Colby-Jack cheese. Yum! I’ll serve it with a tossed salad and probably crescent rolls.
Thursday-Really Easy Shepard’s Pie I serve this with the corn and peas that are left over in the bags after I measure out the recipe amounts. I think I’ll make a dessert too, something I rarely do, but Simple & Delicious has Contest-Winning Frozen Dessert recipes in this issue, and the one called Mint Sundae Brownie Squares sounds delicious!
Friday-4th of July! We’re doing a cookout, so I’ll make All-American Burgers, corn on the cob, potato salad, and fixings to make S’Mores for dessert! I need to look up potato salad recipes, the one my Mom made was the best I ever had, but she never wrote it down. I think it was just potatoes, hard cooked eggs, diced onion, diced green pepper, mayonnaise and a bit of yellow mustard, and she always sliced radishes over the top so it would be pretty. I’m sure I can find something similar if I do enough Google searches 
Saturday will either be take out pizza or leftovers. So, what are you making for dinner this week? To see more great menu plans, visit I’m an Organizing Junkie, home of Menu Monday!
Topics: Menu Monday | 1 Comment »
Menu Monday-June 23 2008
By Elizabeth | June 23, 2008
You know what really helps? Knowing what your menu will be BEFORE 5:00 pm on Monday! I just seem to get less and less organized every week. It’s a good thing that Target sells frozen food now, because while I was there today buying toilet paper and Pull-Ups, I picked up tonight’s dinner. I have a pretty good idea what I’m making the rest of the week, too, I just have to shop for it.
Monday: Mrs. Paul’s Beer Battered Fish Fillets, Broccoli in Cheese Sauce, Roasted Garlic Instant Mashed Potatoes-okay, not the healthiest, but quick and will fill everyone up
Tuesday: Crockpot Macaroni and Beef,
Wednesday: Fuss-Free Ravioli and Cheese bake, recommended by Laura, garlic bread, corn
Thursday: All-American Burgers, oven-baked steak fries, steamed green peas
Friday: Takeout Pizza night, salad and breadsticks
Saturday: Tacos, burritos, Just like Taco Bell Mexican Pizza from “Fast Food Fix”, chips, salsa, guacamole
Visit I’m an Organizing Junkie to see the other 225 people who have posted links to their week of menus! Wow!
Topics: Meal Planning, Menu Monday | 7 Comments »
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