French Dressing

French Dressing

 

 

This recipe is simple enough but why would you use this recipe, say, opposed to this French Dressing. Well, it’s a little heavier in taste. And because of the addition of a secret ingredient this recipe makes a gob. Not a recipe you’ll find in the latest gourmet magazines. First, it’s decades old and secondly it has an ingredient the gourmet might be embarrassed to use. Try this though … at least once … you’ll be sold!

Continue reading


White Chocolate Chip Cookies

My Mother’s Day Dessert

White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cranberries

My Mother was never big on sweets, or so she would say. But she was always good for a cookie, the moist and chewy variety. My Daughter is pretty much the same, good for a cookie but it better be a pretty darn good one.

 

 

These cookies fit the bill for my two favorite Moms.
My Daughter with My Mother 5 years ago.

If you haven’t visited my Daughter’s Inspirational Style Blog catch it here. Beautifully done, Miss.

This recipe, too, is one of my Mother’s … saved from the back of a Mariani Cranberries bag December 2002. I made one significant change, no melted butter. Instead I leave the butter out at room temperature until it almost loses its shape.

One delicious cookie recipe!

Continue reading


Taco Salad

& French Dressing?!

Taco Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mexican Cuisine is a family favorite! We’re celebrating with s simple dinner tonight. Margaritas too! Or a cold Corona with lime or Pacifico without. Tonight’s dinner calls for cold beer. Salud! And Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Continue reading



Curry Cole Slaw

Curry Cole Slaw

Cole Slaw is picnic food, a side with ribs, BBQ chicken, trip-tip, hamburgers, hot dogs, or Santa Maria Beans. What most recipes for this salad have in common is sweetness … often too sweet. Curry Slaw is only slightly sweet, and with the addition of peanuts and bacon crumbles it’s more than a side. The curry isn’t overwhelming. In fact, you may want to sprinkle a little extra on each serving. A simple Cole Slaw recipe that will bring lots of compliments!

 

Continue reading


Bean Salad

Bean SaladYep, this is another old recipe. Mom’s salad recipes are on my mind as Mother’s Day approaches. Of course our eating habits are quite different from the 60’s. I’ve made a few changes to this recipe but it can even be brought closer to date by simply adding blanched green & yellow beans instead of the canned variety … Just as mom’s Layered Salad might better include baby spinach leaves or a spring lettuce combination instead of iceberg to make it more palatable for many. Those are easy fixes. But sometimes it’s just fun to “remember when” and leave the recipe as it was … Especially on Mother’s Day! OK, I have to admit 3/4 cup sugar in the dressing is way too much. Yikes!

Continue reading


Salads and Dressings

Vegetable Salads for Days

Salads and DressingsToday begins my Vegetable Salads for Days posts. I’m starting with recipes of times past (mom’s) and moving forward to more calorie-concious salads & dressings. All are great and have a place. This layered salad is perfect especially in this single serving jar. All the ingredients can be visualized … Important if your family is like ours. Not everyone likes all the ingredients. These single servings are fun and can be individualized. Truly very little extra time on your part. Especially great for those barbecues or picnics!

 

Continue reading


Cinco De Mayo Recipes

We’re getting a head start on this celebration. Believe me, we don’t need an excuse to celebrate with these recipes! Mexican cuisine has always been an important part of our family’s food history. I hope you enjoy viewing some of our favs and give them a try. Search our Mexican Food for more!

Taquitos & Guacamole

Taquitos

Mexican Wedding Cakes

Wedding Cakes

Shredded Beef

Shredded Beef

Quick Cheese Enchiladas

Enchiladas

Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup

Chicken Chile Enchiladas

Chicken & Chile

Enchiladas & Beans

Plain Beans

Albondigas Soup

Albondigas Soup

Enmoladas

Enmoladas

Tres Leches Cake

Tres Leches Cake

Salsa

Salsa

Chorizo & Eggs

Chorizo & Eggs

 


Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Two Ways & More!!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Even the best Peanut Butter Cookies might not convert easily to adding jelly. And that is what happened here! But still in the mood for Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies? I tried another simple recipe that’s been around a long time. You’ve seen it and might have even tried it with a candy kiss. It was a very popular holiday cookie in the day … hmm, about 35 years ago. Yep, it still hangs on because it’s pretty tasty. I’ve simply rolled the dough in chopped peanuts instead of sugar and added jelly before baking. Love the change up! First let me include this recipe pictured here. It wasn’t a total fail and I have some suggestions for a better outcome.

Continue reading


S’more Cake

S'more CakeDid I say Picnic! The perfect dessert for the backyard barbecue. Yes, this is a doctored cake mix. But I have all the secrets to give this cake a homemade taste. Have you noticed the chocolate cake mixes are the most difficult to conceal that box taste. Even brownie mixes have that telltale taste. This is easily resolved by using a yellow cake mix and adding the cocoa, (better quality, I would bet). Here’s the other issue with box mixes … They have become smaller in weight. Now every recipe you have using a cake mix is thrown off. The recipes might work but only sorta … texture is different and the overall cake size is smaller.

So, if you can find a 18.25 ounce box mix for this recipe you are ahead but if not, here is something you can do. First, what is the size of your cake mix? Most likely 15.25 ounces instead. You are now 3 ounces off. Here are some choices:

The Perfect Solution
Buy two box mixes. With the second box mix contents measure out 3 ounces by your kitchen scale. Add this to your first box mix contents and save the remainder of the second box for your next cake. One extra box will provide enough additional contents for 5 recipes … if converting to 18.25 ounces from a 15.25 ounce box. Does this make sense?

Almost Perfect
You say you don’t have a kitchen scale. Neither do I. You can pour all the ingredients of the second box into a large multi-cup measuring cup and divide this measured amount by five. Then use this 1/5 as the amount to add to the ingredient shy box mix.

Stretching Perfection
First, there are approximately 2 tablespoons in a liquid ounce. How does that help us? It doesn’t! That’s trying to convert weight into a liquid measurement formula. OK, that understood, in my reading I have found, according to King Arthur Flour, 1 cup of all purpose flour is equivalent to 4.25 ounces weight. And since one cup is equivalent to 16 tablespoons then every tablespoon is .26 ounces. And if we use this math then 10 tablespoons would be equivalent to 3 ounces or close, 2.6 ounces. (Other reading I have found a claim that 6 tablespoons of all purpose weigh 1.75 ounces. Closer yet, .29 per tablespoon. I think we’re good.) How does this work with cake mix ingredients? Is cake mix equivalent in weight to all purpose flour? Probably close enough. But let’s take it a step further. How about just adding 10 tablespoons of all purpose flour to your 3 ounce shy cake mix and forget buying the extra box of cake mix that may end up wasted anyway. There you go!

Here, too, is another SMORE recipe for those days you’re not into a whole cake. Or it’s raining outside, Oven S’mores.

Continue reading