Crepes Sleepover Brunch

I just made the most scrumptious brunch for after a sleepover.  Quite filling and decadent for the morning after a sleepover.  A double batch of the crepes, a single batch of the berry sauce, and a single batch of the cream cheese filling was enough to feed 5 children and 3 adults.  With just two crepes leftover.

Crepes

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 stick frozen butter

Beat the eggs lightly in a bowl, add the milk and continue to beat to mix.  Add flour, stir until mixed evenly.
The pan needs to be heated to a medium heat before you start cooking.  I don't use nonstick pans, the following instructions assume this.  Use the frozen butter to grease the pan, pour in 1/4 cup of the crepe mixture.  You will need to pick up the pan and swirl the crepe batter a bit to spread it out.
Watch the crepe closely, it is ready to flip when the top looks dry.  Flip and cook on the other side for just a bit of time (1 minute maybe).  You will not be able to walk away from the crepes, they cook quickly!
Fill with cream cheese mixture if desired.  Roll and top with berry sauce.
A single batch will make approximately 12 crepes.

Berry Sauce
I used the homemade cranberry sauce recipe.  I just did 2 cups cranberries and 2 cups blackberries for the crepe topping.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce:
Ingredients:
‎1 Cup water
1 Cup sugar
4 Cups Fresh Cranberries.

Directions:Put in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer for apx 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool. It will thicken as it cools.

Cream Cheese Filling

Ingredients
1 package cream cheese (8oz)
approximately 1 cup whipped cream topping

Directions:
Put the cream cheese and the whipped topping in a 1 gallon ziplock bag.  Squeeze as much of the air out as possible.  Squish the cream cheese and the topping together until combined.  Squish all the mixture to the bottom of the bag.  Snip the corner of the bag and use as a pastry bag to fill the crepes.
This makes just enough to fill approximately 10 crepes.  My children do not like this filling, so I only used it for the adults.

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

I found this recipe scratched on a piece of paper and shoved into an old cookbook.  I have no idea where it came from or who to give credit to.  It was fantastic though!

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 can whole cranberry sauce (I used my home made sauce, recipe below)

Directions:
Mix oats, flour, and brown sugar in bowl.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Put half of mixture into a well greased 8x12 baking dish.  Cover with cranberry sauce.  Put remaining mixture on top of cranberry sauce.  Bake at 350*F for approximately 45 minutes or until top is nice golden brown.  I baked it for 55 minutes and it could have used a couple more minutes, so perhaps an hour?
Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan.  Cut into squares and serve.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce:

Ingredients:
‎1 Cup water
1 Cup sugar
4 Cups Fresh Cranberries.

Directions:
Put in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer for apx 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool. It will thicken as it cools.

Turkey Ala King!

Turkey Ala King is a wonderful comfort food.  Rich and creamy, a perfect use for leftover turkey or chicken. 

Ingredients:

4 or 5 mushrooms sliced (more if you love them, less if you don’t)

2 stalks of celery chopped

½ cup chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic minced

½ cup butter (1 stick)

½ cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups half and half (you can use milk)

Approximately 2 cups cooked turkey (or chicken) cut into bite size pieces

1.      Melt butter in a deep fry pan over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms, celery, onion, and garlic.  Stir and cook for 5 minutes or until onion is transparent.

2.      Stir in flour.  This will be goopy, keep it moving in the pan for about a minute.

3.      Add chicken broth and half and half.  Stir constantly until bubbly.  Keep stirring, while bubbly until it starts to thicken.

4.      Add turkey.  Keep stirring until turkey is heated through.

5.      Salt and pepper to taste.

6.      Serve over fresh biscuits or toast.

Tonight for dinner: Baked ham, candied yams, and kernel corn.

I put a 2lb ham in a small roasting pan with about a cup of water and covered.  I put it in the oven at 375*F for approximately an hour.  While this cooked I prepared the yams and glaze.  The corn was just frozen whole kernel corn that I boiled.

Candied Yams
3 large yams
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups small marshmellows

Peel the yams and cut into bite sized pieces.  Put into a pan of water and bring to a boil.  Boil the yams for approximately 10 minutes or until easily poked with a fork.  Drain.  Put the yams into a 9x13 baking pan.  Spread the brown sugar and marshmellows over the top of the yams.  Bake in 375*F oven for about a half an hour or until the marshmellows are nicely browned.

Cranberry Glaze

2 cups fresh cranberries

½ cup orange juice

¾ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp ground all spice

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ cup honey

½ cup packed brown sugar

Put first five ingredients into a deep fry pan and heat over medium temperature.  Bring to boil.  Use a potato masher to crush the berries. Reduce heat and simmer for three or four minutes.  Add honey and brown sugar.  Stir and simmer for another three minutes.  Pour over sliced ham and bake for 10 minutes at 375*F.

Oh my gosh!  This glaze would be fantastic on turkey!  So good!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

This is my favorite recipe for totally from scratch cake. I found it in my Betty Crocker’s Cookbook (1970) page 181. I did alter the recipe a bit. My alterations are in red.
¼ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar (packed)
1 can (8½ oz) sliced pineapple, drained
7 maraschino cherries
6 pecan halves
Dinette Cake batter (see below)

Heat oven to 350*. Melt butter over low heat in round layer pan, 9x1½ inches. I just put the pan with the butter in the oven while it preheated. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Place pineapple slice in center of pan. Cut remaining slices in half; arrange halves cut sides out around pineapple ring in pan. I use pineapple tidbits instead of rings. Not as pretty, but much easier to cut and eat. Place cherries in pineapple slices; arrange pecans around center ring. I’ve never used the pecans, the cherries are also optional.
Prepare Dinette Cake batter. Pour evenly over fruit in pan.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Invert onto plate. Leave pan over cake a few minutes. Serve warm and, if desired with whipped cream.

Serves 9

Dinette Cake
This is a moist yellow cake. I’ve only ever used it in the pineapple upside-down cake. I found it in my Betty Crocker’s Cookbook (1970) pg 97. My alterations are in red.

1¼ cup flour
1 cup sugar
1½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
1/3 cup shortening I use softened butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350*. Grease and flour square pan, 8x8x2 or 9x9x2 inches. Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl. Blend ½ minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool.

Super Easy Quiche

This is a recipe I come back to all the time.  It is a family favorite and completely flexible according to what I have in the fridge.  It reheats well, and you can freeze it once it's been cooked.

Ingredients
3 eggs
1/2 C Bisquick Baking Mix
1 1/2 C milk
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together.  Using a blender works very well to mix and not end up with any lumps.  Pour this into a well greased loaf pan.  (If making a double batch a 9x13 baking dish is about right.)

Now the fun part!
You will need about 1 cup meat.  Any kind will do.  I've used chicken, sausage, burger, pepperoni, ham, and even bacon.  Or you can leave the meat out if you want.  I've only ever used cooked meat in this recipe.  I'm not sure how raw would turn out.  The cook time is long enough, I would think it would be fine. 

You will also need about 1 cup of vegetables.  Most kinds work well.  If they have a strong flavor (like broccoli) a little goes a long way.  The only thing I've found that we didn't like was brussel sprouts.....those got weird.

Now for the cheese!  You will use anywhere from 1 cup to 2 cups of cheese.  Any kind I have tried was fantastic.  I suppose you could leave the cheese out...but why?

Put your meat, vegetables, and cheese right into the liquid in the pan.  Tap everything down so the liquid covers it.

Bake at 350*F for about 45 minutes.  (Double batch takes considerably longer but I haven't timed it exactly.)  The quiche is done when a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Enjoy and Experiment!  I'd love to hear about any combinations you find that are really good.  I'd also love to hear if you find a particular ingredient that just didn't do so well.

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:
5 large apples
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves

1.      Cut, core, and peel the apples into bite sized chunks.  Place the chunks in a baking dish with fairly high sides.

2.      In a separate bowl, combine the oatmeal, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and cloves.  Stir to combine.

3.      Cut the butter into small chunks.  Stir these chunks into the oatmeal mixture.

4.      Pour the oatmeal mixture on top of the apples.

5.      Bake at 350*F for an hour.

6.      Serve with ice cream.

I also like to use 2 or 3 tart apples and a can of sliced peaches for this crisp.

One batch makes just enough for our family of six to have dessert.

Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip

A friend and I made this dip last night.  Oh my goodness, it was heavenly!  I was quite willing to skip all the other dishes from dinner, and just eat this.  It is very rich and oh so good.  I didn't chop the artichoke hearts, so we had nice big chunks of them in the dip.  I liked it that way.  However, if you don't want big bites of artichoke, you can easily chop them a bit before putting them in the dip.


Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

1 (8oz) package of cream cheese

4 cups artichoke hearts drained

2 ½ cups spinach frozen and chopped (or as much as you like)

¼ cup mayonnaise

½ cup parmesan cheese shredded

2 cloves garlic finely minced

1 teaspoon of dried basil

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Topping:

½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature.  Cream together cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, parmesan cheese and basil.  Mix in artichoke hearts, spinach, and mozzarella cheese.  Mix until well blended.  Pour into well greased deep dish 9 inch pie pan, top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350*F for approximately 25 minutes or until top is browned.  Keep an eye on it, all ovens are different.  Serve with toasted antipasto bread.

Perfect Chocolate Cake!

This in not my personal recipe.  I have put the link to the original recipe.  This is an extremely rich and wonderful chocolate cake!  A small piece goes a long way. 
http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=184

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.
VARIATIONS:ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.
THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.
BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.
CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa3 cups powdered sugar1/3 cup milk1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

I used 1 package of cream cheese instead of butter. Let the cream cheese soften, then follow the directions after "melt butter".

Baked Potato Soup

This is the best potato soup I have ever tasted! Fair warning, not a low calorie or low carb meal. ;)


Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onions
3 cloves garlic minced
1 cups chopped celery
2 carrots peeled and chopped
5 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups instant mashed potatoes (apx)
1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 cups bacon crumbles (apx)

Toppings
Green onions sliced
Sour cream
Cheddar cheese shredded
Bacon crumbles

Directions

1.Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic in the butter for 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender.

2.Stir in the potatoes and just cover with water, bring to a boil and then simmer until the potatoes are tender (apx 10 minutes). Add the cheese and bacon, stir until melted.

3.Pour cream and instant potatoes into the soup stirring constantly, until soup has thickened. Add more instant potatoes if it isn’t thick enough.

4.Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, and bacon crumbles on top.

Mild Jumbalaya

A very mild jumbalaya. Great for someone that enjoys jumbalaya without the heat. You can easily add your own spice to it.  This one does use a can of black beans.  I could use dry beans if I remember to soak them before hand.  This is one of my recipes I go to when I don't have much time in the evening.




Ingredients
1 pound breakfast sausage
4 medium tomatoes
4 stalks celery
4 carrots
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 cup rice (I use white, adjust cook times and water for your rice preference)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 chicken buillion cubes
2 cups water

Directions
1. Crumble and cook sausage in large sauce pan.
2. While sausage cooks, cube celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. Set aside.
3. Cube tomatoes. Set aside.
4. When sausage is browned, drain excess oil.
5. Mix celery, carrots, onion, and garlic in with sausage. Stir over medium heat until onions are almost cooked.
6. Add in tomatoes, buillion, rice, and water.
7. Bring to a boil. Turn down, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
8. Stir every once in a while to prevent sticking.
9. After 15 minutes gently stir in black beans. Cover again and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Roasted Chicken - The World's Easiest Recipe!

Yes, you heard me correctly.  Roasted chicken is the easiest thing to cook!

You will need:
1 whole chicken
salt
pepper
butter
roasting pan with lid (or aluminum foil)
meat thermometer

First Things First:
*Take your raw chicken and unwrap it.  Make sure it doesn't have the neck or giblets inside the body cavity.  I like to rinse my chicken before I cook it.  I don't know if it makes a difference or not, but I do.
*Put the chicken in the roasting pan breast side down (the wings should be poking up).
*Slather that bad bird in butter!  I mean scoop out about a 1/4 cup of softened butter onto your hands and rub the bird down!  If you have any big chunks left, put them in the body cavity.
*Salt and Pepper according to your tastes.  Remember, you can always add more when you are eating!  Better to make a bland bird that requires a bit extra after cooking than to make a bird so salty no one can eat!
*Put the pan in the oven on 375*.  Don't cover it yet!  Cooking time when making a roasted bird is really a hard thing to put in a recipe.  It all depends on the size of your bird.  This is where the meat thermometer comes in!  Approximately 20 minutes per pound is what the internet tells me the cooking time should be (website link below).  After about 3/4 of the cooking time has passed, check the temperature with the meat thermometer.  Remember, you need to poke the thermometer into deep meat to get the correct temperature.  Once your bird has hit about 155*-160* cover it for the remaining cook time.  Your bird is done when it's internal temperature is at 180*.
*Take it out and enjoy!

A six pound bird with two side dishes is enough to feed my family for one meal with no leftovers (3 adults and 3 children).  Leftover chicken is a wonderful thing to have, so if you are wondering about a larger bird vs a smaller bird, go with the larger one!

Cooking with chicken info link 
The cooking time chart is down the page a bit.

Why real cooking for real moms?

I love the internet!  I love using the internet as my giant reference library.  I love that no matter what question I have, I know I can find the answer with just a few clicks on my keyboard.  Unless I'm looking for a recipe that doesn't involve "a can of" or "a box of".  Now, don't get me wrong.  I love a good convenient food!  There are days when I need to be able to open a can or a box and call it dinner!  Most of the time, though, I try to cook from scratch. 
I feel things just taste better when they are simple and I know the ingredients.  I prefer food that has an ingredient list I can pronounce.  Plus, it's often just as easy to prepare food from scratch, as it is to go and buy that box mix.
This blog is my own little recipe box.  I will post my family's favorite recipes that I have found, as well as a few of my own creation.  These recipes are as close as I can get to back to basics, simple homemade food.