What's Cookin'?

Good morning! I can't believe there is only one more week in September. The first half of the month was nice and cool, but now it's back up close to 90F. Despite the hot temperatures, I've put away my summer recipes and we are enjoying comfort foods like casseroles and stews. Here are a few things I've cooked and baked in the past few weeks...


Mrs. H's Texas Chili and Country Cornbread Muffins





Mrs. H's Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese




Sandra's Snappy Meatball Heroes



Apple Pie Muffins from A Year from Oak Cottage


If you struggle with menu planning and making dinner every night like I do sometimes, all three of these blogs are filled with delicious recipes and menu ideas that I'm sure will inspire you!

Pear Honey

I spent Saturday morning in the kitchen making Pear Honey. I heard about it from Janet's Journal several months ago and finally got around to making a batch.


It is very sweet and will be wonderful on toast and biscuits.



~Pear Honey~

Yields 12-16 half pint jars

8 cups (about 3 pounds) peeled, cored, and chopped pears
One 20-ounce can crushed pineapple with syrup
10 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix all ingredients and cook until pears are tender and mixture thickens, approximately 30 minutes. Place in sterilized jars and seal while still hot.

For the jar toppers, I traced a cereal bowl onto fabric and cut out the circles.


Made tags using cardstock cut with decorative scissors and a gold bee stamp.


Then attached them to the jars. Most of these jars will be for Christmas gifts and I'd like to can a few other things, too.

Thank you for taking a look and I hope you all have a great start to your week!

I Remember Laura~Family Recipes

Happy Monday! Today I am participating in Miss Sandy's Laura Ingalls Wilder Blog-a-thon. If you would like to join in the fun or visit the other participants, please visit her at Quill Cottage.


This week's theme is special family recipes and I have two favorites to share.


The first one is called Honey-Eyed Chicken and my mom used to make it for us quite often. It was also one of the first dinners I made for Phillip after we got married.


You don't need a lot of ingredients and it is perfect for a quick dinner.

Honey-eyed Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
4 teaspoons curry powder

Preheat oven to 350F. Place chicken in baking dish. Place butter, honey, mustard and curry powder in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until butter is melted. Pour sauce over chicken. Bake 45-60 minutes, basting 3-4 times. Serve over rice.






In 1995, my Nana and Papa came to visit us in Sioux Falls, SD. Afterwards, I rode with them back to their home in Canada for a two week visit. On my return flight, I ran into immigration trouble at the airport. Phillip had to mail them a particular document, so I ended up staying an extra week. The whole family went over to my Great Aunt Barb's house for dinner and she made Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares for dessert.



Aunt Barb’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares

1/2 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 bag mini marshmallows

Melt butter, peanut butter and chocolate chips in saucepan over low heat or in microwave. Blend well. Stir in marshmallows. Pour into buttered 8 x 8 pan and chill for 1/2 hour. Cut into small squares.



I hope you have enjoyed taking a peek at two of my special recipes! My family is still in town and we are having a great time together. I miss visiting you all, but will catch up on your latest news soon!

Homemade Hot Chocolate Variations and Toppings

Hello everyone! We have been trying out some different variations on hot chocolate and I thought I would share them with you.


I will admit to using the instant envelopes of hot chocolate many times, but here is my favorite homemade Hot Chocolate recipe. It's very quick and easy!

Hot Chocolate

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the cocoa, sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in boiling water and bring mixture to a boil, stirring continuously. Stir in the milk and heat until hot, but do not boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Serves 4-5.

Now for the different flavorings you can add...


~Raspberry Hot Chocolate: Stir in 1 teaspoon of seedless raspberry jam.


~Butterscotch Hot Chocolate: Stir in 1 tablespoon of butterscotch sauce.


~Ginger and Cinnamon Hot Chocolate: Stir in 1/8 teaspoon each of ginger and cinnamon.


~Mocha Hot Chocolate: Stir in 1 teaspoon instant coffee.


~Maple Hot Chocolate: Stir in 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup.

I have tried all of these different variations and really like them all! Now let's talk about toppings!


~Good old whipped cream.


~Whipped cream and cookie sprinkles. This is especially fun for Valentine's Day.


~Whipped cream, a marshmallow and chocolate shavings.


~Mini marshmallows with a butterscotch drizzle.


~For all you chocoholics out there...Chocolate Whipped Cream with chocolate shavings.

Chocolate Whipped Cream

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a small bowl, mix the cocoa and sugar together. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the whipped cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add the cocoa mixture, whipping until well blended.


All of these variations should keep you warm until spring. Let me know if you try any of them.

Do you have a favorite hot chocolate flavor or topping?

Con Pollo Pasta

One of Grace's goals for the new year is to help out more in the kitchen, especially when it comes to making dinner. I recently found a recipe for Con Pollo Pasta from my friend Kathi, at Feathering My Nest and thought it would be perfect for a cooking lesson.


Chicken, garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms and peas over fettucini.


Grace made most of the dish by herself!


We set the table while the noodles cooked.


Grace put the fettucini on a platter and poured the chicken sauce on top.

Con Pollo Pasta

1 package cooked long pasta
4 boneless chicken breasts, cut to bite size pieces

Brown chicken in olive oil over medium high heat, about 8 minutes.

Add:
4 chopped green onions
2 tsp. minced garlic
6 sliced mushrooms
1/4 Cup Chardonnay or other white wine (optional)
1 can diced tomatoes

Keep stirring and lower heat to medium low.

Add:
2 tablespoons dried or fresh basil
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 cup frozen peas
About 3/4 cup of the pasta water to thicken sauce

Allow sauce to thicken. Pour sauce over pasta.
(Recipe shared with permission)

Serve with extra parmesan, a fresh salad and french bread!

Chicken a la Queen

Message from Grace: Thank you for all the nice comments about my bubble blower and rice krispies!! The rice krispies are already gone. :0)

Good morning! I saw this recipe over my my mother-in-law's blog and since I love mushrooms I decided to give it a try. The list of ingredients is simple but the sauce ends up being nice and rich!


Chicken a la Queen

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Montreal Chicken Seasoning, to taste ( I used a couple of teaspoons)
1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 lb. mushrooms, chopped (I used 1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tsp thyme

Directions:

1. In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high. Add chicken breasts and sprinkle with Montreal seasoning. Saute 5 -6 minutes per side.


2. Add bell pepper, and saute a few more minutes until chicken is cooked through and peppers are tender-crisp. I cut the chicken up into smaller pieces so it would cook faster.


Remove from skillet, set aside, and keep warm.


3. In the same skillet, add broth and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from pan bottom.

4. Add mushrooms, onion, and thyme; reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer about 5 minutes.


5. Raise heat to medium and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes, until sauce is reduced.


6. Spoon mushroom/onion sauce over chicken and serve!


This would great served over rice or buttered noodles. We had boring old spinach salad with ours. ;0)

I noticed something scary while taking this picture. White tablecloth...red berry tea. Fortunately, there were no spills!


Have a great Thursday!

Fussy Day Chicken

Sandra hosts a Slow Cooking Thursday each week and we happened to have a crockpot meal last night so I thought I would join in.

It's called Fussy Day Chicken because once it's in the crockpot you can forget about dinner while you tend to your fussy baby. Or fussy 7 year old. ;0)


Fussy Day Chicken

-1 whole chicken
-Barbecue Sauce:
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons honey
3 shakes worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
dash of pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine all sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until well blended. This sauce may seem spicy when tasted before use, but it is not as spicy on the meat.

Put chicken, legs up, into slow cooker. Pour barbecue sauce over and inside chicken. Cook 8-10 hours on low.


The meat falls easily from bones and sauce makes gravy for rice or potatoes. All that's left is to fix a salad!


For more crockpot recipes be sure to visit Sandra at her place, Diary of a SAHM!

Also, for those of you who asked, my Show and Tell will be a weekly feature so be looking through your treasures for something to share tomorrow!