Two words.

Sauteed goodness.

Caramelized onions.

Golden mushrooms.

Sliced mozzarella.

Perfectly grilled.

Make it.

Eat it.

Right now.

Weirdly delicious...

This meal definitely falls under the "don't-knock-it-'til-you-try-it" category. It's called "Haystacks" & I actually found several derivations online. But the haystacks we were introduced to by my sister-in-law take it to the next level.

The next level of "weird" at least. ;)
Essentially you make a "haystack" out of a variety of foods - cooked rice, seasoned ground beef, beans, tomatoes, red peppers, lettuce, shredded carrots, shredded broccoli, olives, pineapple, coconut, raisins, shredded cheese, Fritos, salsa, sour cream...the possibilities are endless. And how you "stack" them is completely up to you!

I think what the kids love most is getting to create their own meal. (D's not getting ready to hurl...he was "tooting his own horn" is all!)

A rice - meat - beans - coconut - carrot haystack "a la Noah".

For not being a perfectionist, this child is most meticulous about her food arrangement!

And Miss Sweet-Pea was excited to make her own for lunch the next day.

"Pizza Pie"

I originally found this recipe in a Kraft Foods magazine. I wasn't sure the kids would go for it, since it had steak sauce in it, but they loved it!! Another draw back is that I never buy Bisquick. I found this recipe in my favorite cookbook and have used it for several other recipes.

Master "Bisquick" Mix

8 1/2 c. flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar (optional, I omitted it)
1 Tbsp. salt
1 1/2 c. powdered milk
2 1/4 c. vegetable shortening

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until "mealy". Store in an airtight container. ** Substitute 4 1/2 c. whole wheat flour & increase baking powder to 2 Tbsp. **


I modified Kraft's recipe. For 3 "pizza pies", I mixed 2 lbs. ground beef (pre-cooked with chopped onion & seasoned w/ salt & pepper), 1 bag corn (defrosted), 3/4 c. ketchup, 1/3 c. steak sauce.

For each "pie", mix 2 c. Master Mix with 1/2 c. hot water. Mix only until it forms a dough & knead just a bit. You don't want to work it too much or it won't be soft & luscious. Roll into a 12" circle & transfer to a greased pizza pan. (The dough is really soft & can tear easily, but no worries! Just smoosh it together again. No room for perfectionism here!!)

Spoon on about 2 c. of the meat mixture & sprinkle w/ shredded cheddar cheese. Fold over the extra dough.

If you've been living with temps in the 100s plus...

If your husband is slightly eccentric & has completely banned the use of the oven or stove top due to the counter-productive effect it has on keeping the house cool...

Then you too have been exiled to the grill! Welcome, friend.

I have to admit that I've been surprised at just how many things you CAN cook on the grill. I'm trying pizza next! Cook these at a medium-high heat for about 20-30 minutes. Place them above the fire on a shelf, if you have one. Otherwise turn the heat down so they don't burn. Take them out when the cheese is melted & bubbly, and the crust is golden brown.

Delicious...

Fish...and leftovers

I've been working my way through the contents of my freezer. Dual purpose really. Trying to save a little on the grocery bill & trying to clean out my freezer. Late this Spring, Phil took the boys fishing & they brought home quite a lot. Phil cleaned the fish, soaked the meat in salt water & then we bagged it up in quart freezer bags. Usually one bag is plenty for our family for one meal.

This week I fried up two bags. It's a simple recipe, without precise measurements, but it's good. After frying the fish, I like to keep it warm in the oven (or the grill if you've been banned from using the oven during this heat spell!) & it ensures that the fish will be done all the way through.

The day after, I heated up the fish patties & made fillet o' fish sandwiches for lunch with home-made tartar sauce (mayo & sweet relish).

Fish Breading

2 eggs
1 c. dry bread crumbs
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. parsley flakes

Heat thin layer of olive oil in skillet. Beat the eggs in a bowl & set aside. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Rinse & drain fish. Pat dry, then dip in eggs and then in breading. Fry on both sides in olive oil, gently turning the pieces over. Place fish in a 8x10 pan & cover with foil. Heat in 350 degree oven for 15-20 min.

For sandwiches: Heat fish. Layer fish, slice of cheese, and tablespoon of tartar sauce on hamburger bun. Enjoy not having to cook lunch! ;)

Biscuits

I have a love-hate relationship with biscuits.

I love to eat them...but I hate to make them. They are the bane of my existence.

Not really. They might be if I had to make them on a weekly basis.

But I don't.

So I never do.

All the rolling & cutting out, and rolling again. It's just too much hassle. And don't tell me to just pop open a can. If you've ever tasted home-made biscuits that are melt-in-your-mouth good, you'll know the store-bought sealed ones cannot compare.

So I swore off biscuits. Until recently.

It's all thanks to the Cafeteria cooks at my school. They make home-made biscuits & gravy every Friday morning for breakfast. They don't pop open a can. Or fifty. They do it the old fashioned way with shortening, and flour, and salt, and baking powder, and milk.

And then they do something amazing! They press the dough into baking pans, cut it into squares & pop the pans in the oven. The biscuits cook up evenly - the center's of the pan's not doughy. And they're just as delicious and tender (if not more) as the round ones you roll & cut out, minus the work!


It's a win-win any way you look at it. Yummy biscuits without the blood, sweat, and tears. Okay maybe not blood. But definitely sweat. And tears. Many tears shed asking, "Why am I wasting my life rolling and cutting and rolling and cutting?"

You get the picture.

Yum. Delicious perfection.

I saved so much time making my biscuits, I had enough energy to make cookie dough. By why be industrious and bake cookies when you can bake cookie "bars"?

I love being lazy.

Biscuits

4 c. flour

2 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. sugar

2/3 c. shortening

1 1/2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in shortening. Add milk and stir until just blended. Press into a ungreased 12x18" baking sheet & cut into squares. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.

Stuffed French Toast

This is my first attempt at this recipe (given to me by my s-i-l), though I've been eyeing it for a long time. It takes some planning ahead, which I'm not often good at. But the planning & the work was well worth the warm delicious-ness...

Stuffed French Toast

2 small loaves of French bread
cream cheese
1/2 c. butter (one stick)
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
4 eggs
2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice French bread into thin slices (about 1/2" wide). Spread cream cheese between slices to make "sandwiches"(about 10). Melt butter & pour into a 9x13" pan. Sprinkle sugar & cinnamon over the top. Place sandwiches over that. Beat eggs & milk; pour over top. Bake for 25 min. To serve, flip over onto plate so that cinnamon sugar side is facing up. Serve with syrup or fruit.

Pizza

I love pizza. I'm pretty sure I could eat it every day and not get sick of it. Living in Chicago has made me a Giordano's-deep-dish-pizza-fan-for-life, but my husband doesn't share my sentiments. The thinner the crust, the lesser the cheese, the better. We've arrived at a happy compromise, and we both agree that homemade pizza tastes the best...

I've tried many crust recipes, but this one is by far my favorite. Second to my love of pizza, is my love of bread. I used to think it was a hassle to make, but now it's become therapeutic. Especially the kneading & punching-down part. Thanks to my Aunt Verna, for teaching me how to properly take out my aggression on my dough. :)



Pizza Dough

2 c. hot water
2 Tbsp. yeast
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 c. milk
1 Tbsp. salt
7-8 c. flour

Combine yeast & hot water in mixing bowl. Add sugar & let set until foam begins to form on the top. Stir in milk & salt. Add flour; stir well. Knead until dough is no longer sticky, but still soft. Set aside in a greased bowl & cover with a damp cloth; allow to rise for about 30 min. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Divide dough - into thirds for large (10x15" baking pans) or fifths for small pizza pans - and roll out. Grease pans with olive oil. Sprinkle with corn flour (optional) & place dough on pans. Bake for about 15 min. Remove & top with pizza sauce, toppings, and cheese. Return to oven for another 15-20 minutes until crust is crispy & brown.

The kids each got to make their "own" pizza & choose their toppings. Noah was most excited about this, as he generally spends most of his meal picking toppings off his pizza! Unfortunately he thought it was his personal pan pizza & wasn't too keen on sharing what he had so painstakingly created. ;)

Chili

My husband says my chili is "too rich", but that's just the way I like it. This recipe is a mixture of several recipes & often has variations, depending on what I have on hand.


1 lb. pork sausage
1/2 lb. hamburger
1/2 lb. venison
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small can diced tomatoes
2 cans chili beans
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 pkg. chili soup seasoning
1 Tbsp. chili seasoning
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips

In a stockpot, cook meats & onion until browned. Drain fat & return to pot. Add tomatoes & chili beans. Drain black beans & kidney beans; add to chili. Add seasonings & let simmer for 30 min. to an hour on low heat, stirring occasionally. Serve with cheese sprinkled on top & a drop of sour cream; chips on the side.

All-Bran Muffins

I would like to thank God's Pantry for supplying Bethel Camp with an over abundance of All-Bran cereal. I thank my sister-in-law for sending me home with several boxes & for providing me with this recipe, as I had no desire to eat dried up cereal balls for breakfast. And I especially thank my youth pastor's wife for letting me borrow her pans - without them I would not have attempted to bake these without some heavy-duty non-stick spray!!

2 c. All-Bran cereal
1 c. boiling water
1/2 c. shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. buttermilk **
3/4 c. raisins, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour boiling water over cereal & let stand for 15 min. In a mixer, cream shortening & sugar. Add eggs, beating until fluffy. Add bran mixture. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk. Fold in raisins. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes in metal muffin tins or 13-15 minutes in silicone muffin tins. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen muffins.

** If you don't have buttermilk on hand, just pour 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice (or vinegar) into a 2 c. container & fill the rest of the way with milk. We prefer these without raisins. Also, you can store this in the refrigerator for several weeks in a tupperware container, or bake immediately & store baked muffins in the freezer. Pop them in the microwave or toaster in the morning & you've got an easy breakfast "to go".

Hot Cocoa

I have memories of my Mom relying on her "Jungle Camp Cookbook" from Wycliffe the many years we spent in Brazil. It came in handy & was used for everything from substitutes to conversions, to simple recipes containing basic ingredients. Eleven years ago, my Daddy gave me this cookbook. It's the updated version of the one my Mom used. Mine has been well loved, as evidenced by the missing cover & food splatter on various pages. It's one I'll want to pass on to my daughters someday.

Abbie made this hot cocoa recipe for our sledders this morning.

4 c. water
2 Tbsp. cocoa
3-4 Tbsp. sugar
1 c. powdered milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a pot. Stir consistenly while heating on med-high heat. Cocoa will float on top & will take a while to mix in. Heat until warmed through, but not to boiling. Makes 4 cups.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

It's not Fall anymore, but these muffins are easy to make & meant to be enjoyed all year long!

I went searching for a recipe one afternoon, with the intent of using up one lonely can of pumpkin I've had sitting in the pantry since Thanksgiving. I found this recipe in an old church cookbook. They didn't last long around our house & I've decided that canned pumpking will make it to the list of "necessary staples" I want to keep on-hand. ;)



4 eggs
2 c. sugar
15 oz. canned pumpkin
1 1/2 c. oil
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
3 c. flour
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat eggs. Add sugar, pumpkin & oil; mix well. Add dry ingredients & stir. Add chocolate chips & stir until well mixed. Fill paper-lined muffin tins 2/3 of the way full, and bake for 15-18 min. until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen muffins.