Blitz Pancakes.... Don't mistake for Blintz

Some of my favorite recipes are from my childhood. Some things just can't be changed and some things will always remain perfect. My comfort foods if you may.

I remember eating these a lot growing up. When my siblings would come into town, as we all became adults... my mom would always make these. She would pull out some freezer jam she had made in the summer, and we would all patiently await them as she cooked them. They are wonderful.

They are nothing like a pancake. They do not become light and fluffy. That is a plus in my book since I absolutely hate pancakes with my whole being. They soak up the syrup and are like little sponges. Makes me want to scrape my tongue on cement. EWWWWWW... BUT THESE, are a little bit of heaven. Each bite.

They are somewhat like a crepe, but they are thicker and have more flavor. My family loves them as well.

I need to say, my Aunt Becky gave this recipe to my mom. They were best friends for many years, and then they lost contact. I recently found her daughters through facebook, and found out that Aunt Becky had died. She was hit by a car in a parking lot at her job and she died. My heart hurt for her daughters and to know I didn't find them in time to say hello and good bye just one last time. Aunt Becky was a great cook and had a great smile and liked to laugh. She and my mom met through some sewing conference or something like that when I was in kindergarten. We shared holidays together and I used to go to their house in the summer now and again. I really liked her, and her family and I am blessed to be reunited with her daughters.

So, enjoy these breakfast goodies and raise your glass of milk and salute my Aunt Becky....


Blitz Pancakes....

1 c. flour
1 T. sugar
3/4 t. salt
1 c. sour cream
1 c. small curd cottage cheese
4 eggs well beaten


Mix all the ingredients and cook on a griddle, or in fry pan sprayed with nonstick oil. These are very moist...and yummy, but...make sure that the bottom side has set up before you flip them. Great to eat with jam and jelly, or fresh fruit and whipped cream.

Peaches and Cream Muffins are oh so good...

Muffins.... Do you know how many muffins there are? Tons... and they are so good. One of my favorite things to eat are muffins. I search for new recipes all the time. They are simple to make and wrap individually for a quick breakfast. They are always welcomed by neighbors as little tokens of kindness. I never have had anyone turn down muffins. When Taylor was in the hospital for that year (nearly a year) and I was raising money to take our family to a Southern California vacation for him when he got out... I would hold bake sales at work... where most of the money came from. Muffins were one of the best sellers. They are loved by many.

I recently ran across a new recipe from a fellow blogger at Never Enough Thyme. Her recipe was for Peaches and Cream muffins. PERFECT. I love peaches... and it sounded interesting, so I prepared them for a potluck I was going to. They were a hit. They were moist and wonderful. I actually doubled the recipe which you can find here... Peaches and Cream Muffins (check out her recipes. They will not disappoint you.) When I doubled the recipe... instead of doubling the sour cream, I actually used a container of peach yogurt. It tasted good as well. I also added a little bit of cinnamon to the batter to make it a little bit like a peach cobbler flavor.

Here is the recipe. Again, please go and visit her. I have her added as a favorite and am following her yumminess. The reason you don't see muffin papers on my muffins is I used a Demarle baking piece that you don't have to, they just slip out. I don't sell for them... just love their products.

Peaches and Cream Muffins

Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 20 min | Total time: 30 min
Makes: 9 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup chopped, fresh peaches
• Cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together the egg, sour cream and oil.
3. Combine dry ingredients and sift into the wet ingredients. Stir together just until moistened.
4. Stir in the peaches.
5. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray and place a paper liner in each cup.
6. Fill cups ¾ full with batter.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out nearly clean.

Chicken Orzo Salad

I love pasta salads as they are so diverse and can be made so many different ways and are easy to change up. I recently went to a potluck for my daughters reading club. She asked me to bring FRUIT? What the heck? Fruit? My heart sunk... I need to cook... I need to, it is not a choice... it is just how my brain works. I compromised and took peaches and cream muffins. The recipe is soon to follow. They turned out great. But... I wanted to take more, so I made a batch of chicken orzo salad with dill. It received many compliments. I just threw things in it that I had in my pantry. Again, all of my cooking are not measured out well... I just throw this and that in and play with it as I go. These are approximate and I know you will play with it as well to your liking.

1 box of orzo cooked and cooled and placed into a bowl
1/2 bottle ranch dressing
1/2 bottle Bernstines cheese and garlic fat free dressing
1 can asparagus
1 can olives sliced
1 can garbanzo beans
1 large can of chicken packed in water (it is found near the tuna in the grocery store... and tuna is fantastic in this salad also)
1 carton grape tomatoes halved
1 zucchini sliced
1/2 onion diced
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 bunch of fresh dill chopped

Mix all the above ingredients and place in large bowl and chill. It is great with feta cheese as well, but I didn't have any on hand. Enjoy. Fantastic. Makes a big salad for potlucks.

Hawaiian Mac Salad

There is something about Hawaiian Mac Salad that beats all other macaroni salads. There are many different versions. As, me, I have tried most of them. I like the creaminess of the Hawaiian Style mac salad. No plate lunch would be complete with mac salad. I have adapted from all the salads what I like best about mac salad and combined it into my own. We make it in large quantity when I do make it, which isn't nearly enough.

I hope you try this and enjoy. I don't have the exact measurements as I play with it to have it just come out so. You do the same... but these are approximate measurements. Enjoy... and mahalo for coming back to my page.

Wendy's Hawaiian Mac Salad

1 pkg macaroni noodles cooked and drained. (I never use salad macaroni size, full size so it holds
the dressing better.

Place noodles in a large bowl and cool completely.

4 red potatoes cubed and cooked. Don't cook them to be mushy... No bueno... tender but not mushy....

1 handful of matchstick carrots. You will find them in the produce aisle already cut for you, they are very small... like what you would find in an iceburg lettuce salad mix.

Six hard boiled eggs cooled, cracked, peeled and sliced.

2 cans of tuna fish drained and shredded well with a fork, no big chunks....

1 can olives sliced

1 cup cubed cheddar cheese

Just throw all of this in the big bowl with the noodles.

For the dressing, I toss the mixture in the bowl with about 6 Tbls milk. This gives it that extra creamy I spoke about.

I then mix 1 and a half cups of mayo to start into the salad, and if needed, I will add more. I put in a couple of Tablespoons of mustard. It will not be enough to turn the noodles or mixture a yellow color... it is just for a little zip. Fold all ingredients well, add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy. With left overs, you may want to add more mayo if it has been soaked up by the noodles.

Nothing says heaven like Au Gratin Potatoes...

In my home... just know, if you make Au Gratin potatoes, and the whole family is here, there WILL NOT be any left overs. We like them just that much. My grandpa used to have a HUGE garden... he could have fed many, many families from his garden. He loved potatoes. He had an abundance of potatoes... always. I seem to just love SPUDS... love, love, love them. A part of my carb addiction I suppose. I look for different ways to serve them from time to time... but many of the dishes are my comfort foods, and you just don't mess with comfort foods.

I found a great recipe for Au Gratin potatoes here, at, Get Off Your Butt and Bake! I knew I must try it. I added a bit more salt and pepper to the recipe that was posted, as that is the way we like ours. These were so good though. Please visit the blog as she has some FANTASTIC recipes there. I could just wander from blog to blog reading all their recipes.... for days... just the way I role. SMILE....

Here is the recipe posted. It is good... enjoy... I did not add the ham, but will if I have it as a main dish.

Lionhouse Au Gratin Potatoes

• 4 large potatoes peeled and diced or sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped (opt) – use 1 tsp. Onion powder instead
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups cubed cooked ham (read notes below)
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place potatoes, onion and 2 teaspoons salt in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. TURN OFF THE HEAT and let sit for 5 minutes, covered. DRAIN the water off the potato mixture and spread potatoes in a 9×13 inch glass baking pan; set aside.

Make a white sauce by melting margarine or butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. When the margarine or butter starts to foam, stir in flour to make a smooth roux. Cook and stir constantly until the roux is nice and smooth, about 30 seconds. Mix the milk, cream, salt and pepper together and slowly add the milk mixture to the roux. Stir this constantly until sauce has thickened nicely. Reduce heat to low and stir in cubed ham and half of the grated cheese. After the cheese has melted, pour sauce over the potatoes. Top with remaining cheese. Bake 40 to 45 minutes. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

NOTE: With either recipe, you can also make it a main dish. Just take 4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless pork chops and dredge them in a dusting of flour. In a heavy skillet, melt margarine, butter, olive oil or Crisco oil and brown the meat on both sides, until it’s nice and golden brown. Just mingle those browned chops or breasts in the potatoes and Au gratin sauce or potatoes and whipping cream . . . before baking. The meat will be tender and delicious and it flavors the Au Gratin Potatoes perfectly!

Bacon Fried Rice

I have two daughters that love rice. Their dad actually makes the best fried rice out of anyone I know. Mine is never as good as his, although I don't get it quite there. I was amazed at the ease of making fried rice, as, well... I hadn't cooked it before I met him. He likes to cook it on a Friday or Saturday morning, and then he will get up and cook some over easy eggs on the following morning and place it upon the rice he made the previous night. This is what his mom did for him as he grew up and now he likes to do it for his kids. Our son loves this as well... but my girls... if it has rice in it, they love it.....

You can use any kind of meat you want with fried rice really... ham, chicken, spam... well to you spam is not a meat but to many people I know from Hawaii... it is. GRIN... ono grinds. It is a diverse dish where some put in peas... cubed carrots, etc. I put in shoestring carrots from time to time but not a lot of time. Peas... we don't... but not that I am against it. I use pretty much what I have on hand.

So... for us... bacon is the way we like it.

Bacon fried rice

Prepare enough rice that you would like to use. I am told it is very important that you rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Put it in a bowl... cover with water, and then swish it around... empty water... add fresh water... swish it around... empty. Do this as many times as needed to have the water run clean. It rinses the starch off... and I have been told by my Japanese mother in law... and many, many Hawaiian friends that this is very important. Cover the rice with water to about an inch over the rice. I use a rice cooker. I had never heard of a rice cooker before I met their dad. I swear by them. I am not sure what I did before I had one... so good.... It is best to cook the rice in the morning or the night before and let cool and keep cold until time to use. I am not sure why... but again... that is what they have told me and it has turned out great every time.

When ready to prepare the rice.... in a large skillet place...

1 pkg hickory smoked or plain bacon. (You wouldn't want maple... )
1 large sliced onion
1 zucchini sliced
1 handful of shoestring carrots

Saute until you are satisfied with the readiness of the bacon.
Add:
Sliced mushrooms (we love mushrooms so we use a whole package of them (fresh, not canned)

stir until everything looks done to your liking. Turn burner onto a medium or low setting so this won't burn at this point.

Add rice by the cupful... one cup at a time and cook after each addition to make sure it doesn't clump...

add soy sauce...

This is totally by taste... don't start out with a lot. Start out very sparingly as soy sauce is very salty as well as the bacon. Add some, stir, add some stir... until your liking.

Move all the rice towards the middle from one side to give you some room for scrambling your eggs. I use about 6 eggs. I just crack them into the pan and just stir them until they are scrambled and fluffy or in chunks. I then fold them into the rest of the rice. Add pepper to taste.

Garnish with sliced green onions.

This is a fun and easy dish. If you make this... be sure to make enough for left overs the following morning. Cook an egg over easy and eat on top of a bed of heated up friend rice.... pure heaven.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

I am looking for more and more recipes for crock pots and slow cookers. I work full time and my job waiting tables is during the graveyard shift. This.... well... stinks. So it is easy for me to come home in the morning and throw it into the crock pot and go... I would love to say I then could sleep, but, that would be a lie. I don't sleep... ha... well like 4 to four hours a day... it is not a good thing. But, it is nice to have time to play with Carlie instead of cooking in the kitchen all of the time... unless she is with me helping. We love cooking together...

I ran across a recipe for slow cooker lasagna at six sister's stuff. Please click the link and go visit them. They have a ton of great recipes.

As usual I had to alter their wonderful creation as there are just some things my family expects of me when cooking. I am sure that their recipe is wonderful just the way it is however. Below is the original recipe posted on their site, and then notes on the bottom telling what I did differently.

Again go and check their site out... you won't be sorry. And... who can resist the love and respect that sisters share. This will be no different.

Slow cooker lasagna It states that she found this on a kraft food box or package....

1 lb. lean ground beef (could be substituted for italian sausage)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 c. water
1 15 oz. container of ricotta cheese (we used skim ricotta to save some unneccesary fat haha)
1 pkg. Kraft Italian Cheese (approx. 2 cups)
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 tbsp. parsley
6 lasagna noodles, uncooked

***(My adds... I also added four boiled eggs sliced... (used to be popular in the 50's when making lasagna. My mother in law still has a cut out box top in her recipes with this... and it has just become a habit not to add them when I make lasagna.) I added sliced mushrooms, and sliced zucchini in the layers. In my house, if these things aren't added I will have a war on my hands. I also added some drained canned tomatoes in the layers. It was so good... oh... and I added minced garlic and onions to the hamburger when I cooked it. )

Brown meat in large skillet; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Mix ricotta, 1-1/2 cup mozzarella, 2 Tbsp. parmesan, egg and parsley.

Spoon 1 cup meat sauce into slow cooker; top with layers of half each of the noodles (3 noodles broken up per layer), broken to fit; and cheese mixture. Cover with 2 cups meat sauce. Top with remaining noodles, broken to fit; cheese mixture and meat sauce. Cover with lid.

Cook on low 4-6 hours or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; let stand, covered, 10 min. or until melted. *

*Ours only cooked for about 3 1/2 hours because I had a hungry husband and it was fine! Plus the meat is cooked beforehand so it is safe. :)

Soyu Chicken Hawaiian Style Plate Lunch

I miss so much about Hawaii. When I was 23 and left Hawaii as home, I didn't think I would miss it. I lived in a rough area. I lived in a beautiful environment that cost me an arm and a leg to live it. I went through a very sad divorce at a very young age to someone that I thought hung the moon and the stars. (Ended up being the best thing for me, but who would have known back then). So, I returned to Spokane... aka Spokavegas.

I miss the laid back lifestyle that they have there. I miss the music. I miss the early morning rain and the rainbows it left behind. I miss the smells of the plumeria flowers. I miss the shaka sign, wearing slippas all day outside and always being bare foot inside. I miss shave ice from Wiola shave ice and I miss L and L bbq and Zippys Chili over rice.

I went back a few years ago... well six and a half now... and I realized how much I missed it. I went with G and the kids and I was pregnant with Carlie. Dinner Cruise, hiking even when my ankles were the size of stumps... We ate fresh pineapple with sliced pepper jack cheese every morning for breakfast, (might sound gross... but the combo is fantastic... don't stand in the way of a pregnant woman and her yummies) We would have Leonard's Bakery Malasadas each day... my favorite were the coconut cream filled ones, and the guava filled ones... NOW MY MOUTH IS WATERING. Again, did I tell you I had shave ice daily... it was planned into our budget... ha... I would have ice cream in the bottom of it and and condenced milk drizzled over the top.

I try to bring Hawaii into my kitchen often. There is such an Asian influence there... so I get to cook Asian food, and Hawaiian food... and life is good. I will make a point of making spam musubi in the next couple of weeks. And Beef Tomato, and Short Ribs, and Beef Brocolli, and Loco Moco, and chili over rice... and... and... and... and....

One of my family favorites is Soyu Chicken. If you say SOY... you have it wrong... trust me here. It is pronounced Show You. Say it together... there ya got it. OH MY... I need to cook some Lomi Lomi Salmon as well.... so good... back on track Wendy, Back on Track...

So again... No perfect measurements... bodda you? I hope not...this is my kitchen we are talking about... just a very simple walk through. Oh, and a fantastic memory. I cooked over 300 pieces of Soyu chicken one year as a fundraiser for my job at Wachovia. I had four big kettles boiling on my stove all day... finish one batch and start another.... there was so much moisture in my kitchen it actually blew up my microwave that night when we used it that night... well at least I am pretty sure now that is what it was caused by...

So... here is how I make Shoyu Chicken... oh... man... now I thought of Chicken Long Rice... I will try to make chicken long rice as well...


Soy Chicken...

Chicken Thighs work best with this recipe. I buy the big pack of thighs
4 cups of soy sauce
2 cups of water If you don't do this step it is going to be very salty
3 cups brown sugar
1 Tbls chopped garlic
3 inch piece of fresh ginger grated on a ginger grater... it turns it into a paste, this is what you want.

Add all of the above to a pot on the stove. Bring to boil. (You can actually marinade your chicken in this over night as well if you would like... Add chicken. Place lid on chicken. After it boils I put it on medium and cook for about an 45 minutes or until chicken is done. The trick at this point is to take the chicken out of the marinade and place on a cookie rack and broin under broiler to get a crispier skin, and not soggy. We always have ours with fried rice and mac salad. Ono!

This is a great recipe fo shua... ono ono, Hawaiian Style...

Mini Snickers Cheesecakes

If there has ever been proof that there is a higher power, in my mind it would be cheesecake. I adore cheesecakes. You could give me a list of 100 types and I would not scratch one of them off and I would love to try every single last one of them. Is it any wonder that my butt is so big? I think not! The smoothness in the texture... the sweetness, creamy and tasty.

I talked to Scott recently about a childhood memory of his grandmother. He wrote that he loved her cheesecake as it had extra butter in the graham cracker crust. I agree with him that there needs to be real butter used... and just enough sugar... not too much as it will spoil everything.

What is my favorite type of cheese cake? I am not sure... but I don't think that I have met it yet, as there are simply too many. I really like pumpkin cheese cake with a ginger snap crust. It is AMAZING... and different and a little bit of heaven in my mouth.

I recently discovered a Mini Snickers Cheesecakes at a blog called Six Sister's Stuff. Please join them there for a peek at all of their wonderful goodness that they share with their readers. They have some amazing recipes they share. I have spent a couple of hours there reading. Love it.

On to the dessert... here is the recipe. My family loved it. Mini servings that I baked in my Demarle cupcake pan. No liners needed. Mini means portion control to me as I seriously could eat three slices of cheesecake if people don't watch me. I would pay for it as it is too rich for my stomach in that much quantity... yet... the taste makes me driven for more. I was able to send some of these home with my son Taylor and my daughter Amanda. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Six Sister's ... you did good with this recipe. IT IS AMAZING!

Mini Snickers Cheesecakes Copy and pasted from their site. Please use link above to visit,

2 c. chopped Snickers Bars
2 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbl. granulated sugar
5 Tbl. melted butter
2 8oz packages softened cream cheese
1 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbl. pure vanilla
3 Tbl. caramel sauce

**The original recipe suggests making these in a muffin top pan but I used a regular muffin tin pan and they worked fine! If you are using a regular muffin tin, use a little bit less than 1/4 c. when you are pouring the filling into each tin so they don't overflow.**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place chopped Snickers Bars into a bowl, set aside for now. Place graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter into a mixing bowl to combine. Spoon a couple spoonfuls of crumbs into each section of the muffin pan and press down and up the sides. Bake for 5-6 minutes or just until browned. Remove from oven.

In a stand or electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined, scraping sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in caramel sauce until well combined. Pour about 1/4 c. of cheesecake mixture over each baked crust then top evenly with chopped Snickers. Bake for 23-26 minutes or until cheesecake edges are just starting to brown and centers are nearly set. Remove and let cool completely. While still warm, loosen all edges with a plastic knife to make for easier removal from pan. Refrigerate once cooled then top with caramel sauce and whipped cream to serve!

12 individual cheesecakes

Chinese Chicken Salad

The dressing was shared with me by Carlie's Great Auntie Janice. It is a great salad and so nice to have in the summer months. Enjoy this... it is one of our favorites.
Lettuce
Slivered Almonds or
Sliced almonds
Chinese Noodles
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts boiled, and shredded
(this would also taste good if they were bbq'ed)
Small can of mandarin oranges
Green onions sliced
Lots of fresh ground pepper, to your taste.

I make these in layers on individual salad plates. First I put on lettuce, then the chicken, the mandarin oranges, the chinese chicken noodles, the almonds, then the green onions... Pour the following dressing on the top.

Dressing:
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. MSG
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. salad oil
1 tbsp. sesame oil This is not like cooking oil. It comes in a small bottle in the Asian food section of a store. It is a very intense flavor and not watered down like other cooking oils.
3 tbsp. white vinegar

Combine first six ingredients, toss gently. Mix dressing in covered jar or bowl by shaking thoroughly. Pour dressing over other ingredients and toss again. Can be made ahead and put into a tupperware bowl. When ready to serve just add noodles and dressing.

Easy Cheddar Biscuits and ohhhh so good....

I was a bit skeptical to try these. They looked simply too easy to be good. Kind of the too good to be true scenario. Well these are fantastic. I got this from a blog hop, the sites name was called Talking Dollars and Cents. I hope you will visit them. There are a lot of great recipes over there that are affordable. Enjoy... play around with these... they are soo goooooood.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease muffin tin with non-stick spray

Ingredients

Sift together in bowl #1:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbs baking powder
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt

Mix together in bowl #2:
1 cup grated cheddar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups of milk
1/4 cup melted butter

Add ingredients in bowl #2 to bowl #1.
Mix until combined.
Fill muffin tins 2/3 full
Sprinkle tops with course pretzel salt (optional)
Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

This is the original writing of the biscuits. I added fresh ground pepper to them and some diced onions and I mixed in a tablespoon of garlic in the second bowl. They were fantastic as well. Next time I am also going to add some crumbled, crispy bacon. Fantastic and easy muffins...

Polynesian Breakfast

I am adding this onto a great blog called Don't Waste Your Homemaking (party 21). Check it out and stop by to see a lot of people sharing blogs there. Also check out her button on my side.

This is a dish that my whole family loves. It could be made in a more inexpensive way, but, they love the meat in it, so that is what they get. It is a good and hearty dinner that is filling. I hope you try it, as everyone that I have fed it to love it. Enjoy... This makes enough for about 8 people. We like left overs...

2 boneless pork chops
2 chicken breasts
olive oil
1 top sirloin steak
3 Tbls chopped garlic
2 medium sized onions sliced
3 red potatoes cubed
1 zucchini cut into ring sized pieces
6 large mushrooms sliced, stems included
6 eggs scrambled set aside
4 pkg top ramen noodles crushed in the package
1/2 c soy sauce
3 Tbls worcestershire sauce
5 green onions chopped

Scramble your eggs and set aside.

In large skillet, cook your pork chops and chicken, which should all be cubed, along with the onions, and red potatoes. I fry in olive oil, just a couple of Tbls. worth. These are the items that take the longest to cook. When they start to get closer to being cooked, add in the zucchini, and cubed up pieces of steak. Cook for about 3 minutes... not long at all. Now add the crushed up ramen noodles and their spice packets, along with the mushrooms. Don't add water. You want these like stir fry and not like soup or soggy noodles. Keep stiring for a few minutes. Add about 1/4 cup of water, the worsestershire and soy sauce. Put a lid on the pan and let cook for 5 minutes. keep stirring until the noodles are done. Add in the eggs at this point. When ready to serve add the green onions for garnish. This dish is similar to a lo mein.

Easiest Ever Rhubarb Pound Cake

I know, I know, yet another Rhubarb recipe. I love it so very much... one of my favorite parts of the summer, and you, the readers are going to have to suffer with my obsession of the wonderful, very favorite thing. (my favorite thing today... it may change tomorrow of course)

This recipe was so good when a fellow banker, when I worked at the bank, brought for a potluck. Her name is Betty. Betty was always slower to learn the procedures at work, and had a difficult time dealing with irate customers over the phone. She was elderly. She had the most beautiful white to silver hair. She still is very pretty. Her husband, at the time was battling cancer... so she and I bonded right away. She is kind and she is caring... and she is anything but a banker. She is a listener, she is a nurturer, she is a mom and a grandma and a sweet lady, but banking wasn't her niche either. She would be the best volunteer at a hospital to visit sick people. She would be a wonderful woman to rock sick babies... she would be the best greeter at a church... as she makes people feel loved... it is just her way... but not a banker... she was lost in the industry. She and I were the cooks on the team. When she brought this dish in one day... she was reluctant to give me the recipe as it was... top secret. She pulled me into the corner as it was that much of a secret.

Here is what she told me...

Cut up rhubarb and put it into a 9x13 baking dish. Pour on sugar... when it looks like enough, pour an extra handful on top. Buy an instant pound cake, or short cake at the grocery store. Mix according to directions. Pour it on top of the rhubarb and bake as directed. When it is cooled, serve with either cream poured on top or whipped cream...

There you have it...

I used
9 stalks of rhubard
2 1/2 cups of sugar
PLUS...
and extra handful (for good measure as Betty told me to... remember rhubarb is sour...)

I then used the pound cake. I have used the shortcake as well. It is on the top shelf of the cake aisle at the grocery store. (Both the pound cake and short cake. I like the shortcake better, but both are excellent.)

I have also added strawberries to it in the past which is fantastic as well...

I cooked mine for 28 minutes. Keep an eye on it. I started at 20 minutes and added time.

ENJOY... Today I thought of Betty as I made this. Her husband died shortly before I exited the banking world. He was her world. I said a little prayer for her. She loved him so and she said this was one of his favorite dishes... Blessings on the journey Betty.

Polish Sausage Potato Salad

Potato salad is always a favorite in my house. I am impressed with all the new kinds of potato salads that there are not. Not just the typical mayonnaise, pickles and celery with onions. I love the version with fresh green beans, onions, red potatoes and garlic. So yummy... to follow another day.

For a recent gathering that I went to last week, I took this potato salad I played by ear. Again, Not exact measurements as I played around to get this taste, so please as you do this, play with it and make it your own... what you like.

What I used:

2 1/2 lbs red potatoes cut and boiled (not to long cooking as you don't want them soggy)
12 polish sausage cut into rings and fried
2 large onions cooked with the polish sausage
1 large tblsp minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

What I mixed as a dressing

1/4 cup creamy horseradish
5 Tbls horseradish mustard (I am assuming this amout, a huge squeeze)
1 Tbls minced garlic
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups of mayonnaise
2 Tbls fresh ground pepper
fresh ground salt to taste
5 Tblsp olive oil
1 Tbls powdered chinese mustard

I simply whisked this all together and folded into the potato salad. I must say I like a lot of dressing on my potato as if there is extra it soaks into the salad and it becomes too dry.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It is good and hearty meal all on it's own with some fresh fruit. I garnished with green onions as I always do.

Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars with a Sour Cream Glaze

Before I get questions about this, as I ALWAYS do, don't worry about the sour cream glaze. It is fantastic. Sour cream picks up any flavor you use it for. This is a sweet and wonderful flavor and it isn't sour at all. It isn't the same without it, so trust me on this one.

I few if my favorite things of summer....
1. Saturday Markets... LOVE THEM
2. BBQing... carne asada is my very favorite thing to bbq.
3. My kids when they would run through the sprinkler... they are 23 and 20 now and they refuse
to do it anymore... oh... yes... we can't forget I also have a 6 year old so we are all good with the
sprinklers for a few more years.... YEAH!!!
4. Popsicles on the back porch....
5. Sitting on the back porch at night listening to Carlie tell her stories... I have a few years of her
thinking it is ok to sit and chat with mom still...
6. Going to orchards and picking fruits and veggies since I don't have a garden here now... but
I promise to have one next year... for sure...
7. The sound of the ice cream truck coming down the street. I am not sure which is louder, the
music of the ice cream truck or Carlie screaming that it is coming down the street. It really
is a toss up...
8. Taking the kids camping...
9. A few days with no rain here in Oregon, notice I said a few... don't hold your breath on that
one.
10. Fresh corn on the cob (nothing better than when we lived in Iowa... nothing even compares),
fresh strawberries, and also...

BUT of ALL of these things, nothing quite compares to my love for RHUBARB! I love it so much. I want to plant it in my backyard, SO BAD. It is so expensive to buy right now. I remember when my parents had huge bushes of it in their back yard. I would make rhubarb sauce to eat on top of ice cream. I would make pies... coffee cakes... you name it... we would eat it and it was heaven. Now, this is when the older kids didn't realize they were going to be picky eaters. I think Taylor still likes it... but Amanda will have nothing to do with it. Carlie, she isn't too sure, but I can tell she doesn't like it now... but there will be a day she loves it. I hope so anyhow.

This recipe was given to me by a lady named Phyllis that used to go to a forum I belonged to that we would exchange recipes. As soon as she posted it, I knew I would love it... and I did. In fairness she received it from her daughter, but I am not sure what her name was and this has been about six years ago....

So, during the summer, if you call me and you are not able to find me... I am hiding in the closet eating the whole pan of these. They are that good.

Also, I have now discovered I am a place mat, table cloth and dish freak. I like to take photos of my food on pretty plates, in my pretty bowls, on my pretty table clothes... not on paper plates. Forgive me, Father for I have sinned... as this is at a block party and it was on... GULP... a paper plate. Oh so sad. I know, I know... I have the perfect idea. I have some rhubarb on hand... and some sour cream... I think I shall make some more tonight and I will add some more photos when it is done... how is that for compromise? If you call me when you see the new photos... and I don't answer... you already have a great idea of where I will be....



Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars with a Sour Cream Glaze

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 tbsp white sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cup rhubarb (finely chopped)
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp white sugar
Method
1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease an 11x7-inch baking dish.
2 In a bowl, mix together 1 cup flour, the softened butter, and 1 tablespoon sugar until well combined; press into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
3 Bake the crust in the preheated oven until it starts to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the crust. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4 Using the same bowl, thoroughly mix 1 cup sugar with 1/4 cup flour; stir in the rhubarb and toss to coat. Spread the rhubarb mixture over the baked crust. Using the same bowl, mash the cream cheese, 1/2 cup of sugar, and the egg until the mixture is creamy; spread over the rhubarb.
5 Bake in the oven until the rhubarb is bubbling and the topping is set, about 35 minutes.
6 In the same bowl, mix sour cream with 1 tablespoon of sugar; spread over the hot dessert. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars. Refrigerate leftovers.

Carlie and Taylor's Favorite Deviled Eggs aka Zippity Doo Dah Eggs

I sometimes forget what it was like to be a smoker. I did it for a long time... a tough habit to break really. But one thing that came from it... it my need for spices and what my kids call zippity doo dah. I had to drown my salads with pepper to taste it. I started adding more and more garlic to my cooking. My taste buds hadn't been what they could be. With that in mind, I quit smoking years ago... many years ago... but my love for the Zippity Doo Dah never ended.

Now, with as much as I love to cook... I could easily get offended that people always ask me to bring my deviled eggs and they really are not able to figure out how I make them. I just smile... not one has broken the *secret code* code yet. I, like most of my other recipes, vary the amounts here as well and I sometimes add a little bonus to them.


My Zippity Doo Dah Eggs

Boiled eggs (get ready as you are not getting the exact measurements as there are none... but trust me on this one....

Boil, peel and crack the eggs. I know it should go without saying, but cut the eggs the long way... point to point. P.S. TJ... if you are reading this, I still love you doll face, but I just needed to add that.

Scoop out the middle of the eggs, also known as the yellows or yolks (SMILE)

In a bowl, blend your yolks with a mixer. Get them as fine as you can. If you like lumpy eggs, so be it, but not as good as smooth centers in our house... and my kids, I must say are deviled egg experts... I mean they can eat a whole plate of them in a day... that makes them experts... right?

Add mayonaise to moisten the yolks... but don't add to much. The secret is coming up... trust me here and you can always add some later if you have never been a smoker such as me... or if you are a big cry baby from the secret ingredients...

next... add a few drops of tapito. If you don't know what this is... you will find it either in the mexican food aisle, or near the tabasco. A few drops will do it... (like 7 here... for luck of course). NEXT... add creamy horseradish! Yes... creamy horse radish, and about a teaspoon of mustard. I am sure you are assuming I mean mustard such as French's? WRONG. Chinese powder form of hot mustard! OMGawsh... it will wake you up in a heart beat. I don't mix it with water or anything... why dilute a great thing? Add your salt and lots of pepper.

Fill the egg halves with this mixture. Now for garnishment... I know most people use paprika, to make their eggs look pretty... but around in these parts... (our house) we use... cayanne pepper.

There you have it. Carlie called them fire cracker eggs for our block party. They were devoured in moments. I took two plate fulls and they were gone... completely... 100 percent gone. Not saying I didn't get any first. I said I TOOK two plates... but we actually made three plates full. WINK... sometimes I am stingy and don't share very well.

Broccoli, Cauliflower Delight Salad

One of the things I like most about cooking is adapting recipes. I, for instance, have seen this recipe so many different ways that it is not even funny. I also make it a lot of different ways. This salad originated as this...

Broccoli Delight Salad

1 lg. bunch fresh broccoli, cut in pieces (4 to 5 cups)
1 c. raisins
1/4 c. diced red onion
10 strips bacon, fried and crumbled
1 cup sunflower seeds

DRESSING:

3 to 4 tbsp. sugar
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. vinegar

Put washed, well drained broccoli pieces in large bowl; add raisins, onion, bacon and sunflower seeds. Mix together dressing ingredients; pour over salad. Yield: 6 servings.

However I added cauliflower to it as well as I had seen it done that way in the past. I then had to increase the dressing to one and a half... Thank GAWD I did so well in math class... who would have ever thought I would need it for a broccoli salad... I also have added things such as fugi apples sliced to mine, dried cherries, dried cranberries, cut up mandarin oranges, slivered almonds, shredded cheese. I always make sure that there is cauliflower, broccoli, the sunflower seeds (although I used honey roasted... just for the effects of helping my butt grow at a more rapid rate... nothing better...) bacon and red onion.... and the dressing as well of course. Then, after that it really depends upon my mood for the day (which interprets into what Carlie or the other kids are in the mood for... as we all know I will eat just about anything that suits my fancy.) This is a great summer salad, as you can eat it for dinner just alone, and never have to turn on the oven...... thank goodness for small miracles when we get old and grumpy with too hot of weather. I hope you enjoy this very versitile and wonderful salad... Just remember, there is a lot of fiber to this salad... as a friendly reminder. GRIN! And no, this is not an ad for Beano.

Corn and Black Bean Dip

If you only knew what we do on the 4th of July. It could get really ugly if we were all honest with each other, yet the word goes unspoken. Seriously... it does. I live in a very kind and sweet neighborhood. We have wonderful neighbors. They are caring for each other and we look out for each other. We watch each others homes when the other is away. We watch each others children to make sure they are safe when they are out and about on the street. Until a couple of months ago, our daughter was the youngest on the block, yet now there is a family across the street renting a home there, and their son is the same age, and a child even younger. However, we still make sure the teens are being safe. We are the neighborhood that bakes for each other during the holidays... and we gather several times a year to enjoy each others companies. HOWEVER, the 4th of July is all about... OUT COOKING OURSELVES from what we brought the year before. That is what I tell myself... as I am not the one that has to be reminded of what I brought the year before. My mind is a volt when it comes to food. SMILE! BUT... ME BEING THE HONEST ONE AROUND HERE, I must tell you that I am also the one that has to tell you a secret.... we are all really trying to out cook each other as well. Again, it is unspoken. When you put your dish on the table to share... it shows... it totally shows. We eye each others dish, like it is the shoot out at sunset from Gun Smoke!

This year, I think that the block party was bigger than any of the past. Each family welcomes other family and friends from all over the place to join in on the festivities as long as they... BRING FOOD!!!! I love seeing when people are carrying over a sliced watermelon... it should disqualify them of the secret contest that is going on.... and people that bring the same dish each year, no competition.... I.... uhm... I mean WE... have found something bigger and better from the year before. We wear that invisible crown, letting the world that we are warriors of the kitchen... but we do it with a little smile or grin and say we will get the recipe to share right away. They obviously don't know... I have a food blog... and that may or may not be kept a secret. I mean... I would hate someone else to win with MY RECIPE... right?

Seriously though, we are very blessed to live in a neighborhood where we can join together and love each other and share our food. We are blessed to live in America. We are blessed to have each other and call each other friends... and we are blessed to be FREE, thanks to the men and women that keep our country safe. Yes that refers to soldiers... and their families, as that is obvious to me. However, we need to also think outside the box, as to the police, ambulance and fire in the area. We need to think of the neighbors that look out for each others home and belongings... to the teachers that go above and beyond for our kids... the daycare and pre school teachers that watch our children and keep them safe as we work. There are smaller scales her too that go without notice... but... AGAIN... on a big scale... people serving in our Armed Forces... I appreciate you.

For the recipe. I found it at this site and I adapted it to our needs. The name is Some Kind of Delicious. She has some great recipes that I saw over there... that I will be trying again very soon. It was the first time I had been to the site, yet I knew I had to try this. And that I did.

Corn and Black Bean Dip

2/3 c. sour cream
½ c. cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 (15-oz.) can corn, drained and rinsed
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
Juice & zest of 1 lime
Salt & pepper to taste
Tortilla chips

In a bowl combine the sour cream, cilantro, cumin, cayenne pepper, and lime. Stir in corn & black beans. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with tortilla chips.

I increased the sour cream to 1 1/3 cups. I added some tapitio to add some zip, and some carne asada seasoning to it. I also added an extra can of corn and a small onion. Her way was divine, yet, I like a lot of extra spice to my food most often. I also increased the the cumin to 2 tsp. and added some green chilis that were diced in a can. I think next time I will add an extra can of black beans and a can of cheddar cheese soup or shredded cheddar cheese. We shall see what wild hair I get that day. All in all her recipe was fantastic... I always tweek... the way I am made.

I hope you try this... it is super easy. Ooooooohhhh... as I am sitting here and my mind wanders yet again, I am thinking it would be fantastic with Mexican sour cream as well. It is so very yummy.... hmmmmmm..... thinking, thinking, thinking.

I also hope you go over and visit her site. It is a keeper for sure.

Fresh Tomato Basil and Mozzarella Salad

I went to Trader Joe's today. If you really know me, you know I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Trader Joe's. So much so that yesterday was their fourth day open here in Salem and it was my third trip in... I love them that much. I think I will even go there today. EWWWWW... this may be a problem. Anyhow... there was fresh basil there that I will be planting in the yard so it will continue to grow. I love it. They also had a sample of a mozzarella cheese logs. This is fresh, where it is not hard, or in the string cheese form. It is soft and wet and ohhhhh so good. So, this was simple....

Collect fresh tomatoes. Aren't tomatoes fantastic right out of the garden and when they are fresh? I love them. So good to just eat with salt. Also gather fresh basil, and the mozzarella cheese for the salad. I put a bit of garlic powder in it as well...
This is what I am talking about... don't those tomoatoes look good... just slice the tops off and wash... eat them raw. So good.
I had to include the above photo... it is Carlie, my six year old daughter. She picked the basil off of the plant for me and was ripping the leaves and adding it to the salad for me. I love she is six and tells me... mommy it is so fun to cook together. It makes me so very happy.
Cut the tomatoes and add the basil as shown above. I love the colors and how they contrast against each other so much. It just looks so fresh and appetizing.

Slice and add the mozzarella cheese to the mix. Easy enough. Now... add balsamic vinegar to the salad. I also added, after the photo... a dash of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I thought of getting wild and crazy (hahahaha, this is my idea of wild and crazy at 44) and adding red onion and olives to the mix. It was so very good. If you wanted a meat to the salad, a salami would be nice or prosciutto would be fantastic. I served this with some french bread, and it was dinner. Grantid, nobody in the house liked it. He didn't like fresh mozzarella and she didn't like balsamic vinegar. However, mommy loved it... and that, for last night is all that counted. THUS... I had to make a spinach salad as well and a turkey pita pocket for miss Carlie.

Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker... Southwestern Crepes

As per my previous post, you can see I do scour food blogs. One blog that caught my attention from day one is Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker. I love foodie blogs of course, but hers has so much more to it.... life stories... do it yourself articles, and it just has a homey feel to it. She likes a lot of the same food I do by the looks of things. Sooooooo.... when I saw this recipe... I had to change my whole breakfast menu for my upcoming girls weekend. It looked THAT GOOD to me.

Well I made her recipe, but I did half just the way she wrote and half, I put extra sugar and cinnamon on the top layer... for my son Taylor. He is autistic and he has a thing with textures sometimes and I wanted something a little crisper on the outside. Now you wonder I am sure, why I didn't take a photo of both textures... the one just like hers, and the special one for Taylor. Quite simply... since it was a half batch... and there were three of us eating it... it was gone in no time flat... and all I had left were Taylor's... so as Gilly from Saturday Night Live would say... SORRY....

First... here is her site and the recipe for southwestern crepes. You will love it over there as much as I do. She is a super sweet lady too. Her recipes are to die for. I have many on my list to try. I just had to do this one as soon as I saw it though as it looked so good and we have girls weekend coming up this weekend. Yeah. I will be topping these with whipping cream as well just so our butts grow a little bit more. What are girls weekends for?

Second... try this recipe.... super easy and so very good.

Third, I am not giving you the recipe here... you need to go to her site to see it... and browse there. LOL! You will be glad you did.