Porcupine Meatballs

This is another one of the hubby's favorites.  If he says its good, well, then it is because he doesn't lie :)  Just a heads up... this recipe is very easy to make, but it does have to cook for 1.5 hours.  Just plan ahead a little so you don't end up eating dinner at 8:30pm like some people (me) do.

Start out by dicing your onion.  You want it to be pretty fine.  I like using my little food processor for this, but a knife and cutting board will work just as well.

Combine the hamburger, rice, onion, milk, salt, and pepper.  For those of you who know me well, you might be surprised to know that I used powdered milk because we were out of the good stuff.  I will even admit that I couldn't tell a difference.  I also added a little bit of minced garlic (my own addition to the recipe).

Combine.  You're gonna have to get your hands dirty.  Every time I make this I start out trying to mix it with a spoon... it just doesn't get as incorporated as when I hand mix it.  

Shape the mixture into balls and put them in a 9x13 pan.  See, you have to get your hands dirty anyway!  I made about 35 meatballs so you have an idea.

Mix together the tomato soup, water, basil, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce.  

The Worcestershire sauce gives it a little kick.  Secret ingredient :)

Pour the soup mixture over the meatballs.

Put it in the oven at 350° for  1 ½  hours.

Porcupine Meatballs
From my mother's recipe box

1 ½ lbs ground beef
¾ c uncooked quick rice
¾ c milk
1 diced onion
salt and pepper
10 oz can tomato soup
1 can water
½ t basil
½ t salt
½ t pepper
½ c Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine ground beef, rice,milk, onion, salt, and pepper.

Shape the meat into small balls.

Place in 9x13 inch baking dish.

Mix tomato soup, water, basil, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.

Pour over meat.

Cover and bake at 350° for 1½ hours.

Party Chocolate Chip Cookies

 
While in college, I worked at a local florist for a little extra cash.  They were especially busy during particular holidays, like Valentine's Day of course!  One of the other floral designers used to bring in some delicious cookies to help us pass the long hours leading up to those big flower holidays.  Her cookies were amazing--and there was always plenty to go around!


After a few different holidays loving these cookies and begging for the recipe, my coworker finally gave it away.  So now I share with you.  This is a wonderful, soft chocolate chip cookie that's plenty chewy and a little crispy on the edges if you brown them a little extra when baking.


Let's start with creaming the fats and sugars.  Not sure exactly what this means?  You put the fats and sugars into the mixer bowl together and beat them until the sugar granules punch pretty little holes in your fat.  It makes the mixture look pale and fluffy.  

Then add in the eggs and vanilla.  At this point, try not to over mix it.

If you're being meticulous, you can mix your dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then dump them in.  However, I usually just dump in the flour first and put my salt and baking soda on top of it.  Then I start the mixer going slowly so it sort of spins the dries on top of the wets--then incorporates them.  Got it?

Don't forget the chocolate chips!

Drop by tablespoonfuls on an ungreased baking sheet at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden around the edges.  As mentioned before, this makes a ton!  About 8 dozen.

Party Chocolate Chip Cookies


1 1/2 cups shortening
1 1/2 cups butter
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/4 cups white sugar
4 tsp vanilla
6 eggs
7 1/4 cups flour (add a little more at a high altitude)
3 tsp baking soda
3 tsp salt
4 cups chocolate chips


Cream shortening, butter and sugars.  Add vanilla and eggs and mix well.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.

Chicken & Broccoli Cheese Soup

We have a soup problem at our house.  I really like it.  My husband not so much.  But that's mainly for two reasons:  A. I seem to always make it on the warmest day of the week.  In Southern California.   B.  I'm not very good at it.

It's true.  I'm not a good soup maker.  But I can do your basic and simple fill-you-up soups.  But therein lies the third reason hubby doesn't like soup:

C.  It's not always filling.

I really love broccoli.  And cheese.  And onions.  And garlic.  And any combination of those--especially in fondue.  Broccoli cheese soup is a pretty simple stand-by for me, and I just added in some chicken to fill up hubby's belly a little better.  Feelin' the vibe here?  This is how you make it:

Slow cook your chicken.  I did mine in the crock pot with a little butter, salt, pepper, parsley, onion powder (I was out of fresh onions) and garlic powder (again, out of fresh).  Added a little water so it didn't scorch.  Put it on high for 3 hours while we went on a little Sunday drive.

Came home, pulled it out and shredded it with a fork.

Dumped it back in the pot and committed a cheese soup travesty:  I used a can.  Don't hate me.  I keep this kind of soup in my pantry for days when I'm feeling lazy or busy or if I happen to be out of cheese.  Please feel free to start this soup off right and sautee your fresh onions and garlic before adding the chicken and proceeding, and finishing with a rich, creamy roux, turning off the heat and gently stirring in your shredded cheddar.  Or, if that sounded like Chinese to you, dump in some frozen broccoli and a can of cheddar cheese soup (I've heard "Cheez Wiz" is also good) like I did.  Don't be ashamed; I'm not.

You don't want to leave this going for much longer than an hour or so, on low.  Just check your broccoli to desired done-ness and don't let the "cheese" scorch. :)


Chicken & Broccoli Cheese Soup


2 small chicken breast halves
2 T butter
1 cup water
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups broccoli (frozen works)
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 "can" milk (just refill your soup can with milk and dump it in the pot)


Place chicken, butter, water, and spices in crock pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or until chicken, when stabbed, comes apart easily.  Remove chicken from crock pot and shred.  Put chicken back into crock pot and add broccoli, cheese soup and milk.  Stir to combine.  Turn crock pot to low and cook 1-2 hours, or until broccoli reaches desired done-ness.  Serves 4.

Easy Whole Wheat Bread

Shortly after I got married, my hubby asked why I didn't make homemade bread too often.  Part of the problem was our very limited space in our kitchen (think the size of your typical half-bath, only smaller).  Part of the problem was my hand eczema, which gets irritated by kneading by hand.


So, my honey asked if I would make bread more often if he got me a stand mixer with a dough hook.  I promised bread every week!  Do you think I've done it?


I confess.  I haven't.  However, I've definitely used that mixer to make bread, and it's totally worth it.  Especially because the capacity of the bowl makes four loaves at a time.  Here's how you do it:


First, make a sponge by mixing the yeast, flour and water together in the bowl and let it sit for 10 to 30 minutes.  It will get all bubbly and spongy.

Next add the oil, honey, salt and remaining flour.  You need just enough flour so the dough pulls from the sides of the bowl, like so:

Knead for 5-7 minutes if using dough hook on your mixer, or 10-12 minutes if kneading by hand.


No major waiting time for rising with this recipe.  While you're kneading, turn the oven to your lowest temperature setting.  Form into loaves and put into greased loaf pans.  Place in warm oven and turn off.  Wait 20 minutes, then turn oven on to 350.  Bake 30-35 minutes or until browned.

Turn out onto cooling rack and let cool completely at room temperature (at least 4 hours) before cutting or storing.  

Easy Whole Wheat Bread
(I use 9X5" loaf pans--if you use 8.5x4" you'll get one more loaf than listed.)


4 loaves (7 qt mixer bowl):
14 to 16 cups whole wheat flour (can be partially all purpose or bread flour, for less-dense bread)
2 T dry yeast 
6 cups warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 T salt


2 loaves 
10 to 12 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 T dry yeast
4 cups warm water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. salt


1 loaf
6 to 7 cups whole wheat flour
1 T dry yeast
2 cups warm water
3 T vegetable oil
3 T honey
1/2 tsp. salt


Combine yeast with 2/3 of the flour with yeast and water.  Let sponge 10 to 30 minutes.  Mix in remaining ingredients, doing the flour 1 cup at a time until it just pulls away from the sides of the mixer bowl.  Preheat oven to lowest temperature setting.  Knead 5-7 minutes in mixer with dough hook attached or 10-12 minutes by hand.  Separate into loaves and place into greased loaf pans.  Turn off oven and place loaves into oven.  Let rise 20 minutes, then turn oven to 350 with loaves inside.   Bake 30-35 minutes, or until very golden brown.  Turn out immediately onto cooling racks and cool at room temperature until cooled completely, about 4 hours, before slicing or storing.  Can be frozen.

Cooked Blackberry Jam

When I was a kid, my family occasionally went to Cracker Barrel Restaurant for family dinners out.  It was our favorite place for a couple reasons, one being the family-friendly atmosphere, and another the simple, down-home country cooking present on their menu as standard fare.  

For me, I confess I could have been happy with one thing:  their biscuits and blackberry jam.

At our house, the standard PBJ showcased grape jelly.  It's a flavor that takes me back to being a younger, littler me if ever I taste it, which hasn't been for at least a few years now.  We occasionally switched to strawberry for something a little extra special.  And for Christmas morning breakfast, guess what made its grand appearance?

Blackberry jam.

Then I got married.  My husband grew up with boysenberry (that's a variety of blackberry, folks) vines decorating the perimeter of his backyard pool.  And what did his mama do with all those berries?


Make jam.

So why did it take me five years to make our own homemade blackberry jam?  You tell me!  It's so easy! Don't wait five years.

First, crush your berries.  This is better done by hand with a potato masher, because jam is meant to have pieces of fruit in it.  If you would prefer a smoother (less seedy) jam, strain a few of those out, or use a food mill.  We don't mind seeds and chunks, so this is what our puree looks like:

There are a few things next that need to happen all at once.  You need a large pot (water bath canner) with a rack on the bottom (glass jars should not touch the bottom) and a lid on top.  It needs to be 3/4 full of water; that water needs to boil.  You also need to wash and sterilize your jars and rings.  And your new lids need to be just brought to a boil and then turned off.  Keep your jars hot--I do this by just leaving them in the hot, soapy water then rinsing them in hot water just before filling.

Next you'll bring the berries, a small amount of sugar and the fruit pectin to a boil.  Add in the rest of the sugar and return to a nice, rolling boil (still boils when stirred) and boil one full minute.  

Remove from heat and fill jars, leaving 1/2" space at the top.  Wipe rims clean, if necessary, and top with lids and rings.  Tighten just slightly--just use your fingers.  Use your jar lifter or tongs and place the jars into the canner.  Close the lid, return water to a boil.  Boil 10 minutes.  Remove from water and let sit 24 hours before storing.

Homemade Blackberry Jam


7 cups crushed blackberries
1 envelope Less Sugar Fruit Pectin
4 cups sugar


Mix pectin with 1/2 cup sugar in small bowl.  Combine with blackberries in large pot and bring to boil over medium heat.  Add remaining sugar and return to boil, then boil one full minute.  Remove from heat and fill jars.  Process in water bath 10 minutes.  Remove from canner and let rest 24 hours before labeling and storing in cool, dry place for up to 1 year.

Dick Van Patten Lemon Chicken

This has been a favorite ever since I was a kid.  I remember requesting it for my birthday dinner on a number of years, as well as every time I came home from college.  It was just so tasty that I figured it would be too hard to make... so, I had my mom make it for me every chance that I got.  Then I got married, and of course I wanted to impress my new husband.  I made this dish one of our first dinners and it was a hit.  Better yet, it wasn't so hard as I had expected it to be.

This dish is pretty simple, both in preparation and in ingredients.  I like that.

So, here we go...

First crush up some saltine crackers.  I used to do this by hand... crazy me.  Use a food processor if you have one for goodness sake!  You want it to be pretty fine so that it will coat the chicken evenly. Put it on a plate.  It's so much easier to use a plate than a bowl.

Whisk together the milk & eggs until they are nice and smooth.

Trim the excess fat off the chicken breasts and dust them modestly with salt and garlic powder on each side.

 Dip the chicken in the egg mixture...

Then in the cracker mixture.  You are more than welcome to scoop extra crumbs on top of the chicken and press it on a little to be more thorough.

Make sure that the chicken has a nice full coat of the cracker crumbs on all sides.  I'm not sure, but I think that this helps to keep it from drying out as well as adding a great texture.

Brown those babies in oil.  I used olive oil.  You can use whatever kind of oil you are comfortable using.

Make sure the oil is hot enough that it sizzles when you put the chicken in.  Don't flip them until they are nice and golden and crispy.  Just a reminder that the point of this is not to cook the chicken.  That comes later.  Just get the outside nice and crunchy.  It took me 3-4 minutes each side, but you really just judge if they are ready to be flipped over by the way they look.

Remove the pan from the heat.  Take the chicken out and pat it with paper towel to remove the excess grease.  Then put it back in the pot.  If you don't have a pot/pan that can be used on the stove top and in the oven you can just use a regular frying pan and any oven safe dish you want.  So now the chicken is in the baking dish.

Pour over the chicken broth and lemon juice.  Try not to pour it on top of the chicken, but more around it.

 Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top of it.

Pop it in the oven at 350° F for 30 minutes.  If you can keep yourself from devouring it right away, you should let if rest for a few minutes before you dig in.

And there you have it.

Dick Van Patten Lemon Chicken

From my mother's recipe box

3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt

garlic powder

1 package crackers

1 egg

1/3 c milk

3-4 T olive oil

1/2 c chicken broth

1/3 c lemon juice

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Finely crush one package of cracker crumbs.  Put them on a large plate and set aside.

Whisk together the egg and milk in a bowl until it is nice and smooth.  Set it aside.

If needed, trim your chicken breasts.  Sprinkle garlic powder and salt on each side.

Dip the chicken in the egg mixture.

Dip the chicken in the cracker crumbs.  Make sure that the chicken is evenly coated with the crumbs.

Heat your oil in a pan.  Place the chicken in the pan, and brown it on each side until it is golden and crispy.

Remove the chicken from the pan and remove the excess oil by gently patting the chicken breasts with paper towel.  Put the chicken in the baking dish.

Pour the chicken broth and lemon juice (I used a little bit more lemon juice than called for because I love lemon flavor) into the pan.  Pour it around the chicken rather than over it.

Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the chicken.

Put the chicken in the oven and set your timer for 30 minutes.

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Lemon Loaf

If I ever went to Starbucks, (not very often; I don't drink coffee) I used to love getting their lemon loaf.  It was so moist and lemony and hard to resist. Also, when I was a kid, my mom, aunts and grandma used to throw a cookie party at Christmastime, and someone always brought a lemon loaf.  I've always loved it.

What I didn't love was the artificial flavor of the ones you got at the store.  Even a mix you baked yourself had that Mr. Clean aftertaste (no, I've never actually tasted any).  So I went on a search for a lemon loaf recipe with real lemons.

When I moved to Southern California, I thought my search was certainly over! Surely someone I met would have a recipe for this beauty.  But alas, no success.

Finally, someone else in the foodie world made and provided the recipe for (what had become) one of my favorite cakes.  I baked it as written in the recipe the first time (always a MUST), then adapted it slightly.  I didn't want to change anything about the cake--just use cheaper ingredients and simplify the process a little.

It's still not an easy cake--but it's totally worth the effort!

First, wash and dry those lemons.  Then zest them.  

To get your sugar superfine, whirl it around in the food processor for a couple minutes.  Add your zest and pulse a few times until the sugar is moist and aromatic.

Prepare lemons for segmenting by cutting around the flesh.  Top and bottom first, then stand it on one end and cut down the sides, removing the peel and the pith.

To segment, cut towards the center of the lemon on both sides of each segment, just inside the membrane.  Slide the segment out of the lemon and into your bowl, leave the membrane behind and move on to the next segment.  When all your lemons are done, break up segments into one inch pieces.

Sift your dry ingredients together if you have a sifter; otherwise, put them together in a large bowl and whisk to get all the lumps out.

You'll notice the pan below is a different shape than the cake pictured above.  That's because I have an important message for you:  please grease and flour your pans.  This is a MUST!  See those spots where there's no flour?  My cake stuck to those tiny corners and ripped little chunks out of my pretty lemon loaf.  Don't be lazy like I am.  The blog author I got this from says she uses Pam with Flour, but I've never tried it.

Cream the butter and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time.  Mix in dry ingredients and sour cream.

Add the lemon segments last and gently fold in.

Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Leave in pan for 10-15 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool.  Glaze if desired (but it tastes great without it!).

Lemon Loaf 
adapted from dozenflours.com

Cake
4 small lemons, organic if you can find them
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups superfine sugar
6 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Glaze
2 lemons
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325.  Grease and flour your pans.  You will be making 16 cups of batter.*

Scrub the lemons with hot soapy water. Rinse well and dry completely. Zest four of the lemons, being careful to avoid the pith (the white part right below the yellow part of the lemon). With a very sharp paring knife, cut the tops and bottoms off of each lemon.

With one cut side down on the cutting board, trim the pith off the lemon, vertically, going all the way around each lemon, exposing the flesh of the lemon. Over a bowl, cut segments from membranes, letting fruit and juice fall into the bowl, being sure to discard the seeds and the remaining membranes. Break segments into 1-inch pieces.

Measure sugar into food processor or blender and whirl for 3-4 minutes until it reaches superfine consistency.  Combine the sugar and the lemon zest; pulse a couple times until the sugar is moist, grainy and very aromatic. 

In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside. 

If using food processor, add butter and turn on food processor for 3 minutes to cream.  If using blender, add butter and sugar mixture to separate bowl or bowl of stand mixer and mix 2-3 minutes until creamed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition (about 30 seconds).  Mix in the dry ingredients, then the sour cream. 

Lastly, gently fold in the lemon juice and segments. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Cut around the cake in the pan, turn out the cake. Carefully turn cake right side up on rack.

While the cake is cooling, juice the remaining 2 lemons. In a small bowl, slowly add the powdered sugar to the juice and stir until smooth. Poke small holes all over the top of the cake using a fork or toothpick. Carefully pour glaze over top and sides of cake.

Store covered in refrigerator or at room temperature.

*follow this link to find the right pans to use.  Adjust baking time accordingly.  I usually do a bundt pan (bakes approximately 1 hour) for a party or potluck, which leaves just enough for a 4" cake (bakes 20 min.) for my family to have for dessert.  Otherwise, I make our family one large loaf (bakes 50 min.), and 8 mini loaves (20 min.) to pass out to friends.