As I hunted for my first recipe to try, I found myself entranced by the Favorite Recipes of Pennsylvania Meats.  It appears to be a fundraising tool but does not say from whom it was purchased.  The publishing date is MCMLXV or 1966.  I thought I would begin with something simple and not too unusual like jellied veal loaf.

I chose this simple ground beef noodle casserole.  It’s a great dish that can be quickly prepared on a school night.  The leftovers also reheat quite nicely.

Ingredients:

1 med. onion, chopped
butter
1 lb. ground beef
1 8-oz. package noodles (I used egg noodles)
1 Tbsp. salt
1 can tomato soup
1 sm. can mushrooms (I had fresh and chopped 6)
1/2 lb. American cheese, grated (I used cheddar and mozzarella)

Preheat oven to 350.  Brown onion in butter; add beef and brown.  Cook noodles in 3 quarts salted water until tender.  Drain; rinse in hot water.  Add to meat.  Add remaining ingredients except cheese.  Mix and place in greased casserole.  Top with cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes. 

Mrs. Bert Wynn, of Rebersburg, PA contributed this recipe.  You can add other vegetables like black olives, broccoli, zucchini and many others.  If you have a large family, I suggest doubling the recipe so you are certain to have some leftovers.  This is one of those dishes that tastes even better after an overnight refrigerator session.  My guy gives the best gifts.  Enjoy!

xo–me

I love Christmas, Easter, Independence Day, St. Valentine’s and just about every holiday but I must confess that Halloween holds a very special place in my heart.  My home has been decorated since October 1 and if I felt I could get away with decorating sooner, I would.  I have decor for each room, including the bathrooms.  If the color of each plastic bin in my closets are any indication, I have more orange and black than the other colors (green, white, blue and red for each of the aforementioned holidays) which can only mean I have a lot of Halloween decor.

Today I return to posting after a bit of a hiatus.  It’s been an interesting year for me, peppered with great heartache and great triumph.  I hope today this post will bring me back to something I love, writing this daily blog. Thanks in advance for forgiving me for my silence.

This colorful and fun recipe is courtesy of my sister-in-law Trish.  It’s her first outing as a room mother and I believe she has served the 3-yr-old class at my nephew’s preschool well with these yummy treats. It’s also a very simple recipe that you can make with your little ones.  Doesn’t everyone love creating a spider?

Ingredients:

Double Stuff Oreos
Pretzel sticks
Green, orange or red candies (I used caramel apple sugar babies)
Chocolate frosting

Break four pretzel sticks in half and insert each half into one side of the Oreo cookie. Repeat for the other side. Use the chocolate frosting as “glue” to put two eyes on each Oreo spider.

She believes she found this recipe in Parade Magazine.  I was shocked it didn’t come from her own creative mind.  Yes, she’s that good.  Enjoy!

xo–me

This recipe is very timely for a friend who was wondering what to do with his chicken thighs earlier this week.  Adam, this one’s for you!

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry thyme
1 c. pearl barley, rinsed and drained
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1/8 tsp. paprika
1 3/4 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. coarsely chopped pecans
chopped parsley

In a large slow cooker, combine onion, garlic, mushrooms, salt, thyme, and barley.  Rinse chicken, pat dry, and arrange over barley mixture.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Pour in broth.  Cover and cook at low setting until chicken is very tender when pierced and barley is tender to bite (6 1/2 to 7 hours). 

When chicken is almost done, toast pecans in a small pan over medium heat until gold brown, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Set aside. 

To serve, sprinkle chicken and barley with pecans and parsley.

The best part of this dish is how quickly a small portion will fill your belly.  It’s the perfect dish for a cool, autumn evening.  Enjoy!

xo–me

This very simple recipe is great for dessert at your next cookout (which I hope is this weekend!).  I have also made it and put one slice on the bottom of my rum & pineapple drink aka The Old Lady Drink.  It’s a nice treat to get at the end.

Ingredients:

1 pineapple
2 Tbsp. dark rum
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Preheat BBQ.  Sharpen your knife.  Cut off the crown of pineapple, then cut away peel.  Hollow out core and cut into 3/4 inch slices.

Mix remaining ingredients, stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved.  Brush the pineapple rings with the mixture.

Cook pineapple rings over hot BBQ for 3-4 minutes on each side.  Pour remaining syrup over pineapples before serving.  YUM!

Try the old lady drink too.  It’s really delicious!

xo–me

I found this recipe a few weeks ago and was anxious to try it.  It actually combines both the sweet and spicy side of sauces.  I used it in the slow cooker but you can use it on the grill this weekend.  Try it with a sausage or burger or if you are like us, try it on everything.  “You can never have too much sauce”–Christopher Smith.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 c. tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. fruity brown sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. mild chili powder
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
dash (or more) Tabasco
salt and pepper

Heat oil in a small pan and cook onion and garlic for 5 minutes, until softened and starting to brown.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes until sauce begins to thicken, stirring occasionally.  Serve.

I multiplied the recipe by 5 so I could cook chicken with it in the slow cooker.  It was really delicious.  Oh and brown sauce is an English thing.  You can find a fruity brown at a specialty food store or order online.  Enjoy!

xo–me

Ingredients:

6 large russet potatoes
6 large sweet potatoes
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper

Preheat BBQ.  Sharpen your knife.  Make a series of even cuts across the potatoes almost all the way through.  Place each potato in aluminum foil large enough to wrap potato.

Mix together garlic and olive oil and brush generously over russet potatoes.  Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over sweet potatoes.  Season both sets of potatoes with salt & pepper to taste.  Fold the sides of foil to completely cover potatoes.

Cook over hot BBQ turning occasionally for 1 hour.  When ready to serve pinch ends of each potato to open the fans.

Many moms have told me they use this technique to get kids to eat potatoes.  I say whatever it takes.  You can always add cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese or whatever you love on your potatoes.  Enjoy!

xo–me

Today’s return is a recipe I very rarely get to make because the man of the house does not eat pork. I like this burger not only because of it’s alternative flavor to ground beef but because it’s so tangy. The orange marinade adds a tinge of cool summer breeze. Plus who doesn’t love a recipe that requires zucchini and parsnips?

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground pork
3 Tbsp. orange marmalade
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 c. parsnips, cut into bite sized chunks
1 Tbsp. finely grated orange rind
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 scallions finely chopped
3/4 c. zucchini, grated
1 Tbsp. oil (vegetable, corn, whatever you fancy)
salt and pepper

Place pork in shallow dish. Place marmalade, orange juice, and vinegar in a small pan and heat, stirring until the marmalade has melted. Pour the marinade over the pork, cover and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes. Remove pork and reserve the marinade.

Cook parsnips in a pan of boiling water for 10 minutes while pork is finishing marinating. Drain, then mash and add to the pork. Stir in orange rind, garlic, scallions, zucchini, and salt & pepper to taste. Mix together until completely combined and then shape into burger patties. Cover and let chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat BBQ. When hot, lightly brush the burger with oil and cook for 6 minutes each side. Boil the reserved marinade for at least 5 minutes and serve with burgers.

I know it sounds like a bit of work. Many of my ‘quick meal’ readers are moaning right now but this one is worth the effort. You can marinate overnight and leave the chilling and cooking for the next day. Your burger lovers will thank you. Enjoy!

xo–me

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 c. onions, diced
1/2 c. green peppers, diced
1 c. catsup
1 tsp. mustard
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. flour

Saute celery, onion and green pepper until tender.  Remove from pan, and set aside.  Brown meat in same pan and drain.  Add catsup, mustard, brown sugar and seasonings to beef and mix well.  Transfer both meat and vegetable mixtures to slow cooker.  Add flour, combined with just enough water to dissolve, to steamer mixture.  Simmer on high setting for 3 to 5 hours or low setting for 10 to 12 hours.

I love steamers on potato rolls but a more healthy way to enjoy them is on whole grain buns.  Occasionally I add a few splashes of maple syrup to the mix to make it a bit more sweet.  Enjoy!

xo–me

It should be thick and heavy, with a lip for pouring away surplus fat.  It should never be washed until it is well seasoned but should be wiped out with absorbent paper towel while still hot.

Food can be prevented from sticking by ‘proving’ the pan.  Melt a little fat in the bottom, remove from the heat, add a handful of salt and rub it thoroughly with a rough cloth.

Nothing beats having a cast iron skillet.  Find one online or at an estate sale.  Or perhaps you will be very lucky and inherit one from your grandmother.  Be good to your tools and retire them when you need to.

xo–me

One such way to show your love is breakfast in bed.  It simply requires you to get out of bed a bit earlier than your loved one and to surprise him/her in bed with some delightful delicacy you have created.  Today’s dish could be just the one you are seeking.  It’s simple and quick and is a lovely surprise–brie and pancetta omelet.

Ingredients:

2 slices pancetta or bacon, diced
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp. water
1/8 tsp. salt
freshly ground pepper
1/4 c. Brie, cut into small pieces

In an 8-inch pan, over medium high heat, cook pancetta until crisp, about 5 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with a paper towel, leaving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, water, salt and pepper to taste.  In the same pan over medium heat, warm drippings and swirl to coat bottom of pan. Pour in egg mixture all at once and let set until eggs start to cook, about 20 seconds.  With a spatula, gently lift edges of mixture and tip pan to allow the uncooked egg mixture to flow underneath.  Continue to do this until the top is almost dry, 3 to 4 minutes.  Sprinkle Brie and pancetta over on half of omelet, and fold the other side over to cover.  Let set for a few seconds.  Serve immediately.

Add some apple crisp (make it the night before) and your words of love and you will have the perfect gift of love.  Enjoy!

xo–me