Tomorrow the snow is supposed to come.  We’ve also made it to January 11, 2012, without a major snowfall yet.  The most we’ve had so far, is about 2 inches and that was long gone already.  The weathermen tell us to expect 5-7 inches of white fluffy snow, that will be blown around like crazy, because of the wind.

So, no knit-night for us tomorrow!  We will be staying home!  Darn it all.  We went grocery shopping yesterday, so we don’t have to go shopping tomorrow.  I will probably have to work both my jobs tomorrow, because the snow isn’t going to be fast and furious. I’ll have to dig out the boots.

Back in November of 2010 (based on the comment I left on a blog post), Emily and I made Stuffed Acorn Squash and White Bean Chicken Chili.  I’ll be darned if I remember what recipe we used for the white chili.  I just remember it being good.  Then I remembered the yummy soup I made once for a Lenten soup and sandwich supper, that everyone liked and tried to remember where that was from.  Sheesh.  I googled chicken soup with spinach and rosemary and found this link:  Italian White Bean and Spinach Soup  Phew!

It will be fun to take pictures of snow, once we get it!  I took pictures of the yard, the other day, so I could document our snowlessness.  They are still on the camera, though!

Sauce:
3/4 C chopped onion
3 T. oil
2 1-lb cans tomatoes (4 cups)
2 6-oz cans (1-1/3 cups) tomato paste
1 T. sugar
1-1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 bay leaf
1-1/2 t. oregano
1 cup water

Cooked chopped onion in hot oil until tender. Add next 7 ingredients, along with 1 cup water. Simmer 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf. After mixing and baking meatballs, add them to sauce and simmer another 30 minutes.

Meatballs:
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1 lb. ground beef
2 eggs
2 T. chopped parsley (or 2 t. dried parsley)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. crushed oregano
1 t. salt
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix ingredients together thoroughly. Form into 1-inch balls. Bake in broiler pan for 20 minutes. Add to sauce.

We haven’t had this in a while, but I was reading this post, about saving money at the grocery store, and it made me think of this recipe.  This home-made marinara sauce is so much better than store-bought sauce!

http://morethymethandough.com/shop-smart

Bonnie Butter Cake with Easy Penuche Frosting

Dawn's Cake 2005

Cake:
1 3/4 c. sugar
2/3 c. butter
2 eggs
1- 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
2- 3/4 c. all-purpose flour or 3 c. cake flour
2 -1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. Salt
1-1/4 c. milk

Frosting:
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. milk
2 c. powdered sugar

Cake:
Heat oven to 350^. Grease and flour 9 x 13-inch pan or 2 9-inch round layer pans, or 3 8-inch round layer pans. Mix sugar, margarine, eggs, and vanilla until fluffy. Beat on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally, 5 minutes. Beat in flour, baking powder and salt, alternately with milk on low speed. Pour into pan(s). Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, oblong 45 to 50 minutes, layers 30 to 35 minutes; cool.

Frosting:
Heat margarine in saucepan until melted. Stir in brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir over low heat 2 minutes. Stir in milk; heat to boiling. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir in powdered sugar gradually. Place in bowl of ice and water; beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency. If frosting becomes too stiff, heat slightly, stirring constantly. Fills and frosts 2 8 or 9-inch layers or frosts a 9 x 13-inch cake.

My ALL-TIME favorite cake!!!!!

Wind stirs up Lake Michigan on 10-26-10.

Emily and I made soup for supper, because with such blustery weather, what else would you be hungry for?

TURKEY VEGETABLE SOUP

1 1/4 pound ground turkey
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
6 cups water
1 can diced tomatoes with juice – 14-16 ounces
1/3 cup white rice, uncooked
1/4 cup ketchup
1 T. instant bouillon – chicken or beef
1/2 T. dried basil
1/8 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf

Crumble ground turkey into a Dutch oven. Stir in onion, carrots and celery. Cook and stir over medium high heat about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Drain.

Return to kettle and add the water, tomatoes, rice, ketchup, bouillon, basil, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 25 – 30 minutes or until vegetables and rice are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.

I don’t know where my mom found this recipe, but I’ve had it so many times as an adult, I finally asked for the recipe. Tonight we served it with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and salads we made at the grocery store salad bar.

I need to brave one more trip outside with the dog and then I can go to bed.

Oh yeah, diagnosed with bronchitis last Thursday, October 21st, after coughing for 1-1/2 weeks. Finished my Z-pak yesterday. I’m still coughing. I’m hoping for improvement by the time the full 10 days is up, which will be October 30th. Everyone, including me, is sick of hearing me cough. Coughing for 2 weeks is not my idea of a good time!

My new blue sweater has been keeping me nice and toasty all evening! I’m so glad I have it!

3 cups water
1-1/2 pounds stewing meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion, diced
4 carrots, diced
14-1/2 oz can tomatoes
2 tsp salt
10-oz package frozen mixed vegetables OR your choice of frozen vegetables
1 Tbsp dried basil
1/2 cup dried vermicelli (We couldn’t find vermicelli, so we used orzo instead.)
1 tsp dried oregano
Added 1 15-oz can cannellini beans, because minestrone should have beans in it
grated Parmesan cheese

1. Combine all ingredients in slow-cooker. Stir well.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 10-12 hours or on High 4-5 hours

3. Top individual servings with Parmesan cheese

Also, we don’t add that much salt to our food.  We have sea salt in a grinder and I probably just added a couple turns of that.  I’m sure it wasn’t 2 teaspoons.

The 3 of us (Gary, Emily, and me) all loved it!  It was gone in a matter of days.

California Chicken

3-lb chicken, quartered
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup chili sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp garlic salt
2 Tbsp chopped green peppers
3 medium oragnes, peeled and separated into sections  OR
1 13-1/2 oz can mandarin oranges

1. Arrange chicken in slow cooker.

2. In separate bowl, combine juice, chili sauce, soy sauce, molasses, dry mustard and garlic salt.  Pour over chicken.

3. Cover; cook on Low 8-9 hours

4. Stir in green peppers and oranges. Heat 30 minutes longer.

Variation:

Stir 1 tsp curry powder in with sauces and seasonings.

Stir 1 small can pineapple chunks and juice in with green peppers and oranges.

Plus, I made Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce in the crockpot, from Two Peas and Their Pod.

I love using my crockpot, because you can set it up with a minimum of work, then go about your day, and supper’s made when you come home at 5 or 6pm. I made the applesauce during the night, then transfered the applesauce to a container to go in the fridge, washed the crock, and got the California Chicken all set to go.  I’ve used it 3 times in the past two weeks.

Today, it’s been snowing all day!  There are probably 7-9 inches on the driveway and it was very much NOT done snowing yet.  The snow is almost up to Jasmine’s belly.  I need to measure from belly to end of legs, to find out how many inches that is.  Emily did not get a snow day and my clinic hours went on, as scheduled, so no slacking for us! I’m glad I had nowhere to go tonight!

Blueberry Vinegar:

1 cup fresh blueberries
2 cups white vinegar
2 T. sugar

Salad:

1 (9-oz) pkg. frozen French-cut green beans, thawed
3 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts(about 1-1/2 lbs.)
3 cups cooked spiral pasta (cooked without salt or fat)
1 cup fresh blueberries
3/4 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 T. finely chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup, plus 2 T. plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup plus 1 T. reduced-calorie mayonnaise
3 T. blueberry vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper
Lettuce leaves (opt.)

Blueberry vinegar: Place blueberries in a sterilized 1-qt. glass jar. Combine vinegar and sugar in a non-aluminum saucepan over high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour vinegar mixture over blueberries. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 3 days. Strain blueberry mixture through several layers of cheesecloth into decorative jars; discard blueberries. Seal jars with a cork or other airtight lid. Yield: 2 cups

Salad: Place green beans between paper towels and squeeze until barely moist. Combine green beans, chicken, pasta, blueberries, celery, green onion and oregano in a large bowl. Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, blueberry vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl; stir well. Pour over chicken mixture; mix gently. Cover and chill 2 hours. Serve on a lettuce-lined plate, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings (about 1-1/2 cups)

Cooking Light March 1995 (I think.  Can’t find magazine issue anymore and can’t verify online, either.)

Addy’s Ice Cream (came with the ice cream freezer)

Ingredients:

4 T. whipping cream
1 tsp sugar

Equipment and supplies:

measuring spoons and cups
spoons
2 cups ice cubes
plastic bag
towel
hammer
salt

Directions:

1. Wash the canister, lid and dasher in warm, soapy water. Rinse them thoroughly and allow them to dry completely.

2. Keep the whipping cream in the refrigerator until right before you need it. Measure the 4 tablespoons of whipping cream into a measuring cup and add the sugar. Stir the mixture until all the sugar dissolves.

3. Insert the dasher into the canister and pour in the whipping cream and sugar mixture. Cover the canister with the lid and place it in the wooden bucket. Put the canister and bucket in the freezer for 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, place 2 cups of ice cubes in a plastic bag. Wrap a towel around the bag and crush the ice by hitting it with a hammer. Keep crushing the ice until it is broken into very small pieces.

5. Remove the canister and bucket from the freezer. With a spoon, pack a 1/2-inch high layer of crushed ice around the canister. Sprinkle a layer of salt over the ice.

6. Alternate layers of ice and salt until they reach the top of the canister.

7. Attach the wooden crosspiece and crank of the ice cream freezer.

8. Tun the crank rapidly. Keep turning until it becomes difficult. to turn (about 10-15 minutes). Remove the canister from the bucket and wipe the salt ice from it.

9. Open the canister, remove the dasher, and spoon the contents into a dish.  Your ice cream is ready to eat. It’ll be softer than store-bought ice cream — but delicious.

Makes about 4 tablespoons of ice cream

LOL! It’s a lot of work for 4 tablespoons of ice cream, but we did it once and it was good!

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We also have the cast iron spider, for making Sweet Potato Pudding.  I recall that was delicious, too!  LOL!

Sweet Potato Pudding

Addy and her mother used the recipe on the front to make sweet potato pudding. Try their recipe or use this modern version for baking your own pudding.

Ingredients:

3 sweet potatoes or yams, boiled until tender
1/3 cup butter
2 T. white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1 egg, well beaten
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Shortening to grease baking dish

Equipment:

2 large mixing bowls
Vegetable peeler
Fork
Large wooden spoon
Measuring cups and spoons
12″ by 8″ baking dish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. When the boiled sweet potatoes are cool, peel them and put them in a mixing bowl. Mash them with a fork.

3. In the other large mixing bowl, combine the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Beat until creamy.

4. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and stir until well mixed.

5. Slowly add the beaten egg, milk, and vanilla.  Beat until well mixed.

6. Sprinkle in the nutmeg and stir.

7. Grease the glass baking dish and pour in the mixture.

8. Put the baking dish on the lower rack in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until set. Allow the pudding to cool before serving.

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Addy’s Spider:

You can make a pudding for Addy, too. First season the her spider according to the directions on the back of this card. Mix up the modern recipe for sweet potato pudding. At step seven, put some of the mixture into the greased spider, too. Put the spider on a cookie sheet in the top rack of the oven. Bake Addy’s little pudding at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until set.  Be careful when you take the spider out of the oven. It will be very hot.

Seasoning the Spider:

Ask an adult to help you season the spider before you use it the first time. Seasoning helps prevent rust.

Here’s what to do:

1. Use mild soapy water to wash the spider. Rinse and dry.

2. Put the spider on a cookie sheet in a 300-degree oven until the pan is warm, about 5 minutes.

3. Remove the spider from the oven. Spread solid vegetable shortening over every part of the pan, inside and outside, with a paper towel.

4. Put the spider back in the oven for 45 minutes.

5. Remove the spider from the oven. Be careful because it will be very hot. Let it cool for a few mintues and then, whilte it’s still warm, wipe off the shortening with a paper towel.

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Addy’s original recipe

Peel and grate three sweet potatoes, pour on them nearly a pint of cold water, add flour, large spoonfuls of brown sugar, one large spoonful of butter, season with ginger. Bake for about 3 hours. (copied from recipe card that came with spider)

It was also nice, that I’d done most of the hard work, on Monday night, since on Tuesday, I had to work at 5pm.  My hubby and daughter only had to assemble the sandwiches, and serve the coleslaw for last night’s supper.

Emily and I also know now, that in the absence of lemon juice to keep the avocado fresh, we can keep the second half in the peel, face-down on a plate, covered tightly with plastic wrap, to be able to use it the next night.  We meant to buy a lemon, but we forgot.  We also forgot to buy the green onions for the cole slaw.  Maybe next time!

It was definitely worth all the hard work of juicing 3 limes!  They are harder to juice, than lemons.

We had a sunny day today, which was nice, after all of yesterday’s rain.  It’s also supposed to rain tomorrow night.  That’s better than Duluth, MN, who is under a blizzard warning for tomorrow night!  Ugh.  Temp was in the low 50′s today.

I recently finished a new Monthly Dishcloth KAL.  This one was a spring scene with flowers in a field, called The Meadow.  It was designed by Lindy,  She’s only 16.  Doesn’t she do a great job?

We are making a Rachael Ray 30-minute meal, although, what I did tonight, took longer than 30 minutes! LOL!

Honey-Lime Grilled Chicken Sandwiches and Five Vegetable Slaw

I marinated and cooked the chicken tonight, along with making the cole slaw!  Haven’t tried the chicken, but the cole slaw is delicious!

The kids and I had breaded porkchops for supper, with steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and baked potatoes with sour cream and cheese.  Yummy!  I’ll post the recipe for the pork chops, when I get back from picking up the kids!  Off I go, into the snow!

Breaded Pork Chops:

Prepare Pork Coating Mix (below). Dip 4 pork rib or loin chops, (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick), into 3/4 cup milk.  Shake each in Pork Coating Mix, coating both sides.  Cook on rack in shallow pan in 425 degree oven until done and brown, 30-35 minutes.
4 servings

Pork Coating Mix

2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Shake ingredients in medium plastic or paper bag.

Yummy.  It smelled so good in my kitchen with potatoes baking in the microwave and the pork chops roasting in the oven!  I should cook at home more often.