Monthly Archives: September 2010

Cookies, Holiday/Christmas, Recipes

Yummy Sugar Cookie Recipe

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Last Christmas, I found this recipe in the Food Network magazine.  I loved the hint of orange in these cookies and the ease of the recipe.

Stars of the recipe:

  • 2 sticks of unsalted
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. orange zest
  • 2 and 1/4 c. flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt

Steps:

  1. Beat butter, granulated sugar, and confectioners’ sugar until fluffy.
  2. Beat in egg yolks, vanilla and orange zest.
  3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl and then add it to butter mixture.  Stir until well incorporated.
  4. Chill for 30 minutes.
  5. Roll tablespoons into balls and flatten; sprinkle with coarse sugar.
  6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

This recipe is linked up to Colleen’s Kitchen Recipe Swap.

Menu planning

Menu plan Monday – Week of September 27

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Monday – chicken cordon bleu (freezer), veggies, biscuits

Tuesday – ham in crockpot, scalloped potatoes, veggie

Wednesday – breakfast burritos, hash browns, fruit

Thursday – grilled cheese sandwiches, soup (TBA which kind of soup)

Friday – homemade hamburger helper, veggie, rolls

Saturday – left-overs

For more great menu plans, visit Menu Planning Monday.

Recipes, Soups

Skyline Chili

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I found this recipe on Crockpot Tuesdays.  Cincinnati is known for it’s Skyline Chili which is a sweet chili instead of a spicy chili.  I live an hour away from Cincinnati so there are lots of Skyline Chili restaurants around.  In fact, there are two Skyline Chili restaurants within five miles of my house.  Eating there can get expensive so I decided making it at home would be more cost effective plus I know what’s in my food.

Since I found the recipe, I have made it three times.  It was delicious the first time I made it.  However, the second time it was too runny so it wasn’t as good.  So when I made it for the third time, I decided to put a teeny less water in it.  It ended up being thicker and as delicious as it was the first time.

Skyline chili is eaten in 5 ways.

1-way:  chili
2-way:  spaghetti with chili
3-way:  spaghetti with chili and shredded cheddar cheese
4-way:  spaghetti with chili, shredded cheddar cheese and onions OR red kidney beans
5-way:  spaghetti with chili, shredded cheddar cheese, onions, and red kidney beans
 

Stars of the Recipe

  • 2 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
  • 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 8 oz. tomato paste (1 1/3 cans)
  • 5 tbsp. chili powder
  • 2 1/2 tbsp. semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. allspice
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 2 tsp. steak sauce
  • 4 cups water (I used more like 3 and 3/4ths cup instead.)

Directions:

  1. Brown ground beef lightly on stovetop.
  2. Combine all ingredients in crockpot.
  3. Stir well, and cook on low for 12 hours or longer.

Enjoy!

 This post is linked to Colleen’s Kitchen Recipe Swap.

Menu planning

Menu Planning Monday – Week of September 20

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Today is hubby’s birthday.  Two weeks ago, I did not make the spaghetti carbonara so I’m going to make it for his birthday dinner.  He is really excited because that is one of his favorite meals.

Monday – spaghetti carbonara, garlic bread, salad

Tuesday – pancakes, bacon

Wednesday – lemon chicken (freezer), lemon basil pasta, salad or veggies, rolls

Thursday – taco soup with cheese quesadillas

Friday – Skyline chili over spaghetti, cornbread, salad or veggie

Saturday – I will be the only one here so I’m on my own.

Recipes, Soups

Spanish style chicken noodle soup

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I’ve been making this soup for the past few years.  I saw Rachael Ray cooking it up on her cooking show and decided I wanted to try it.  During the Lent season, I’ve made it to share with the members of my former church when we’ve had soup Wednesdays.  They always loved it.  In fact, during this past Lent season, I sent home leftovers with a couple people.

The thing I love about this soup is that instead of regular egg noodles, you use orzo pasta which is sort of like rice but is in reality pasta.  I also like that it has black beans in it.

Spanish Style Chicken Noodle Soup

Stars of the Recipe:

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 3 celery ribs, chopped
  • 2 medium-size carrots, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons (about a palmful) chili powder
  • 1 bay leaf, use fresh if available
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) chicken stock
  • 1 pound chicken tenders or chicken cutlets, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes or 1 28-ounce diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup corn, frozen or fresh
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
  • 1/2 pound orzo pasta

Steps:

  1. Put all of the ingredients except for orzo pasta in the crockpot.
  2. Cook on low for 8 hours.
  3. A half hour before serving, put the orzo pasta in the soup so that it can cook.
  4. Serve.

This post has been linked up to Colleen’s Kitchen Recipe Swap, Delicious Dishes, and Tempt my tummy.

Menu planning

Menu Planning Monday – Week of September 13 (with recipe for 7 up pork chops)

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Monday – ravoli lasagna (freezer), salad, garlic bread or Italian breadsticks

Tuesday – Chicken and cornbread dumplings (The $5 dollar mom’s cookbook pg 97) – I’ve been wanting to make this for a long time.  I’m finally going to get around to making it.

Wednesday – pork chops, peas, applesauce (recipe to follow)

Thursday – shimmy and roast Italian chicken, crash hot potato, veggie

Friday – White Castle Sliders, chip or fries, raw veggies

Saturday – left-overs

For other great menu plans, visit I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu plan Monday.

7-up pork chops

  • 4 to 6 pork chops
  • 12 oz. can 7 up, Sprite, or lemon lime soda
  • 1 envelope onion soup mix
  1. Place chops in baking dish.
  2. Pour soda over chops and sprinkle with dry soup mix.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Dessert, Holiday/Christmas, Recipes

Aunt Janet’s Pecan Tarts

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These pecan tarts invoke a lot of memories when I eat these.  I can remember going to her farm with my grandparents for family gatherings.  I can visualize food being laid out on the island in the kitchen or members of the family either sitting outside eating their dinner or sitting around their dining room table.  I can see their pond with the weeping willow right by the driveway and the pine trees around the perimeter of the pond.

Many times these family gatherings involved my great-aunt making these delicious pecan tarts.  We lost another member of our family to cancer this past weekend.  Since then, I was thinking about these pecan tarts because they remind me of my family and growing up; however, I couldn’t remember where I put the recipe.

This evening, I decided to cut out some box top for education labels.  When I opened the drawer that I kept those box tops in, I found the recipe for the pecan tarts.  I had put it in there so I wouldn’t lose it.

To make the pastry:

  • 1/2 c. butter softened
  • 1 (3 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 c. flour
  1. Mix ingredients well, chill.
  2. Form into 24 small balls and place in lightly buttered (or sprayed with cooking spray) muffin tins.  I use the mini muffin tin.
  3. Chill again.
  4. Shape with thumb and press against up to fit bottom and up the sides.

To Make the filling:

  • dash of salt
  • 1 tsp. butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 2/3 c. chopped pecans
  • 3/4 c. brown sugar
  1. Add sugar to butter and mix well.
  2. Then add egg and salt.  Combine thoroughly.
  3. Add nuts; mix well.
  4. Fill tart shells 2/3 full.
  5. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until crust is slightly brown.
  6. Remove from pan while warm.

Makes 2 dozen.  These can be frozen.

For more great recipes, visit Potluck Sunday and Colleen’s Kitchen Recipe Swap.