This Wife Cooks

Medium White Sauce (makes 2 1/2 cups) Melt 4 tablespoons butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in  4 tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (regular salt is fine too!) and a dash of fresh ground black pepper . Add, all at once  2 cups of  half and half or whipping cream. Cook quickly, stirring constantly with a a silicone spatula or a whisk until mixture thickens and bubbles. At this point, it's finished, you're making cheese sauce, such as for (Au Gratin potatoes) add 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, stirring to melt the cheese.

This recipe is from the recent edition of Kraft Food & Family magazine: Ingredients: 1 cup crushed Nabisco Ginger Snaps 3 Tbsp. butter, melted 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided 2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened 2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 cup Breakstone's or Knudsen Sour Cream 2 eggs 1 cup apple pie filling, divided 1/2 cup Planters Walnut Pieces, divided 1/2 cup toffee bits, divided Directions: HEAT oven to 325°F. Mix crumbs, butter and 2 Tbsp. sugar; press onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. BEAT cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each. Stir in 1/2 each pie filling, nuts and toffee. Pour into crust. BAKE 35 min. or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 4 hours. Top with remaining pie filling, nuts and toffee before serving.

Ingredients: 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce 3 tablespoons sherry 1/4 cup soy sauce 1 teaspoon barbecue sauce 2 green onions, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root 1 1/2 pounds flank steak skewers Directions: 1. In a small bowl, mix together hoisin sauce, sherry, soy sauce, barbecue sauce, green onions, garlic, and ginger. 2. Cut flank steak across grain on a diagonal into 1/4 inch slices. Place slices in a 1 gallon resealable plastic bag. Pour hoisin sauce mixture over slices, and mix well. Refrigerate 2 hours, or overnight. 3. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Discard marinade, and thread steak on skewers. 4. Oil the grill grate. Grill skewers 3 minutes per side, or to desired doneness.

Ingredients: 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon paprika 1 (3 pound) top sirloin roast 6 cloves garlic, slivered 6 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered 4 carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces 2 large sweet onions, peeled and chopped 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup beef broth 3 cubes beef bouillon 1 bay leaf 2 large green bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces Directions: 1. Rub salt, pepper and paprika into the meat. With a small knife, make slits in the roast. Press the garlic slivers into the roast. 2. Place the potatoes, carrots, and onions in a large slow cooker. Place meat on top of the vegetables. Pour in water and beef broth, and add bouillon cubes and bay leaf. 3. Place lid on slow cooker, and cook for 6 hours on High, or 8 hours on Low. During the last half hour of cooking, add the green peppers.

1. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt. 2. Cut 1 cup shortening into the flour with a pastry cutter or knife until it looks like cornmeal. 3. Combine 1/4 cup cold water, 1 tablespoon white vinegar and 1 egg (beaten). 4. Add liquids to dry ingredients with a fork until dough sticks together. Divide into two balls. Roll out between 2 sheets wax paper. Fill and bake according to directions. (If baked shell is needed, prick bottom and sides well with a fork and bake at 375 for 10 - 12 minutes until golden brown. Makes 2 9-inch pie crusts.

Ingredients • 1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded • 1/4 cup butter • 1/2 cup mayonnaise • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese • 2 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese for topping Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking dish. 2. Place the spaghetti squash cut side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Place in preheated oven, and bake until soft when a fork is inserted., 30 to 40 minutes. 3. Scoop out the cooked squash, and place in a mixing bowl. Add butter to the squash and stir until butter melts. Stir the mayonnaise, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, and Monterrey Jack cheese into the squash mixture until well blended. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. 4. Bake in preheated oven until cheese melts, about 20 minutes. *Thanks to AllRecipes.com *

Ingredients: 2 lbs stew meat ½ c. flour 3 Tbs shortening 1 onion, chopped {or 1 tbs onion powder} 4 carrots, sliced 3 potatoes, cubed {any other vegetables you like can be added} 3 Tbs minced garlic 2 bay leaves 2 Tbs parsley 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp pepper 4 c. beef broth, or beef consume Directions: Dredge meat in flour. Brown in shortening in skillet. Add to slow cooker with all other ingredients. Cover; cook on Low 10-12 hours or High 5-6 hours. {You can also make this on the stove top, let the meat simmer for an hour or so in the beef broth and spices, then add the veggies in the last hour or two. Make sure it stays on low though, so you don't burn it or lose all your broth. If it's too thin in the end, make a roux in a separate pan and whisk in about a cup of the broth, then whi...

My dad recently taught me a recipe for a slight but oh-so-yummy spin on regular steamed cauliflower. It was a big hit! Beckham absolutely LOVES cauliflower. (He loved the lemon too: Click here to see!) Steam the cauliflower until it's almost done, about 7 - 10 minutes. Put it into a glass casserole dish, pour over it about 1/4 cup of melted butter, and then sprinkle about 1/2 cup bread crumbs over top. Bake in the oven (I think we baked it @ 325, because that's what the chicken was cooking at. until the breadcrumbs look kinda crispy and the cauliflower is tender. Yummilicious! *Serve with lemon wedges*

I got this recipe from my family cookbook, and I have to apologize for the fact that I cannot remember who's name was at the bottom of the recipe, and the cookbook is currently in storage. (I'm reading it from a page that I hand-wrote in my recipe book.) Herb Crusted Chicken Ingredients: 1 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon garlic salt  (The chicken was very salty! We'll leave this out next time!) 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice 1/2 celery salt 1 teaspoon Paprika 8 chicken breasts 2 cups bread crumbs 1/2 cup butter Directions: In a bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients. Dip chicken breasts into this mixture, covering each breast thoroughly. Place chicken on a cookie sheet and refrigerate overnight. (Note: The chicken doesn't have to refrigerate overnight, but it's more flavorful if it does.) After chicken has marinated overnight (or at least, once it's been coated) dip it into the breadcrumbs. Place it on a tinfoil lined (and ...

12 oz can frozen apple juice 3 3-inch cinnamon sticks 6 whole cloves 1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. 2. Cover and simmer on Low 4 hours. 3. Remove cinnamon and cloves before serving. Variation: Omit the cinnamon and cloves. Use 1/4 cup fresh or dried mint tea leaves instead.

I made beef pot pie for dinner a few nights ago, it's one of several recipes that I can actually make right off the top of my head! I LOVE being able to make things like that. I don't have measurements memorized, I just kinda guess @ the amount whenever I make it, so what's here are total approximations! :) Ingredients 1 pound Stew Meat 3 tablespoons Butter (or Olive Oil, if you'd prefer) 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 - 1.5 teaspoons garlic salt (I love ours !) 2 - 3 cups hot water 2 beef bouillon cubes 3 peeled potatoes 3 peeled carrots (If you'd like, after the carrots and potatoes are cooked, you can add a bag of additional veggies - corn & peas, for example) Directions In large, deep saucepan, heat butter until melted and barely bubbling (don't let it burn!). Add stew meat, sprinkle with pepper, onion powder and garlic salt. Brown the meat, cooking until no longer pink. At this point, add water and bouillo...

Ingredients: 1 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast 1 cup warm water 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 ½ cups bread flour (I sift mine and then measure it.) Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 450ºF. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. 2. Add salt, oil and flour. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes. 3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or baker’s peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

This is perfect for a big group of people! Strawberry Salad 2 (6 ounce) packages strawberry flavored gelatin 2 cups boiling water 1 cup cold water 1 (16 ounce) package frozen strawberries (or fresh ones, if they're in season!) 1 (9 inch) angel food cake, cut in cubes 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed In a saucepan, mix gelatin with boiling water, stir until dissolved and add cold water. In a large bowl, combine the gelatin and frozen strawberries. Chill until slightly thickened (consistency of egg whites). If adding lots of frozen strawberries, it may reach this stage while stirring in. Gently fold in cake cubes and whipped topping. Chill until set. Decorate top with any extra whipped topping or strawberries.

This is my favorite simple recipe for spiced apple cider. 1 gallon apple cider 3/4 cup brown sugar juice of 1 lemon 4 cinnamon sticks 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg Mix together all of the ingredients in a large soup kettle. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes. Serve hot, or cool to room temperature and chill before serving.

In light of Halloween coming soon... I decided that I can't wait to eat Pumkin seeds again! They're one of my favorite (and usually only once a year) snacks! Plain ones are delicious, of course, but why not kick it up a bit and make some fun ones?! 1/4 cup water 3 teaspoons garlic powder 2 teaspoons crumbled dried mixed herbs 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon salt Dash cayenne powder 2 cups hulled pumpkin seeds Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the water, garlic powder, herbs, Worcestershire, onion powder, salt, and cayenne in a medium saucepan and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Add the pumpkin seeds and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pumpkin seeds and place on a large baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the seeds are crisp. Store in an airtight container. Makes 2 cups spiced seeds.

This is one of our families favorite dinners. If you have rice or mashed potatoes on hand, it makes a meal in a jiffy, with the addition of fresh green beans. You can always do canned or frozen ones too if you're in a pinch and can't make it to the store. I am really picky when it comes to my chicken - so I completely trim and de-yuck my breasts no matter what I am making. I love being able to customize the chicken to my families liking. This is what works best for us. You may want more spice or seasoning. Some may prefer less salt. It really is versatile and the base of a simple, easy-peasy basic fried chicken recipe. If your chicken is cut into strips or nuggets, you don't have to bake them in the oven. But when we do larger chicken breasts, I always bake to make sure they're done. You can take the whole pan you fried them in and place it in the oven, or you can move them to a foil-lined cookie sheet and use the pan for making some homemade gravy. 6 boneless, ...

Ingredients Serves 8 ♥ 1 3/4 cups heavy cream, chilled ♥ 1/4 cup sugar ♥ 3/4 teaspoon mint extract ♥ 1 package (9 ounces) chocolate wafers ♥ 1 cup miniature chocolate chips Directions 1. Make the mint cream: With an electric mixer, beat heavy cream, sugar, and mint extract until stiff peaks form. 2. Line a serving platter with two sheets of wax paper side by side. Assemble the cake: Spread each wafer with about 1/2 tablespoon mint cream, forming stacks. Lay stacks horizontally along seam of paper, pressing gently to form a log. With small spatula or knife, cover log with remaining mint cream. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. 3. To serve, gently remove wax paper from underneath cake (holding cake in place with a metal spatula, if necessary), and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Slice cake diagonally with a serrated knife. Thank you, Martha !

So... once again we owe AllRecipes.com for this delicious recipe! Ingredients: * 1 cup water * 2 1/2 tablespoons white sugar * 1/2 teaspoon salt * 2 tablespoons vegetable oil * 1 cup all-purpose flour * 2 quarts oil for frying * 1/2 cup white sugar, or to taste * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Directions: 1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in flour until mixture forms a ball. 2. Heat oil for frying in deep-fryer or deep skillet to 375 degrees. Pipe strips of dough into hot oil using a pastry bag. Fry until golden; drain on paper towels. 3. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Roll drained churros in cinnamon and sugar mixture. They turned out AMAZING! Beckham ate nearly half of them.

We got this from Adam Gertler. We've made it twice, and it's absolutely amazing chicken! 1 cup kosher salt 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar 1 cup smoked paprika 1/2 cup chili powder 1 tablespoon dried rosemary 1 tablespoon dried thyme 4 - 6 garlic cloves We used a whole, cut-up chicken and coated the pieces in the rub, then put them into a cookie sheet, on top of a cooking rack. We put the rosemary, thyme and the garlic in the bottom of the cookie sheet, with a cup or so of water. Baked them in the oven @ 375 for 45 minutes, turned them and let them cook for 45 more. We've made them with rice and green beans, but this recent time, we made fried corn to go with them.

Ingredients 1 pound ground beef 1 pound stew meat (cut into bite sized pieces) 1 tablespoon shortening or olive oil 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons onion powder or 2 medium sized onions 6 cloves garlic, minced (if you don't have whole garlic, substitute 2 tablespoons of garlic powder) 2 tablespoons chili powder 2 tablespoons dried oregano 4 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce 4 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained Directions Heat shortening in large stock pot. Add garlic, browning slightly, on medium heat. Add: ground beef, stew meat, salt, pepper and onion powder. Let meat cook for about 10 - 15 minutes. Add: tomato sauce, chili powder and oregano. Stirring well. Once it reaches boiling, turn it down to a simmer. Cook, covered, for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in beans, simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes. This is one of mine and hubby's FAVORITE dinner! Goes perfectly with bread bowls !

So... tonight for dinner we're having homemade chili (love it, we'll have to post the recipe soon!) and homemade bread bowls... I improvised a few things this time around, to see if I could better perfect them. We'll have to see. The dough is rising as I am typing this post, can't wait to try them! You'll need the following ingredients: ♥ 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast ♥ 2 1/2 cups warm water ♥ 2 teaspoons salt ♥ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil ♥ 7 cups all-purpose flour (I sift mine and then measure it.) ♥ 1 tablespoon cornmeal ♥ 1 egg white ♥ 1 tablespoon water ***I added 1 tablespoon of white sugar to the yeast and water mixture.*** In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed af...

Watched Bobby Flay today and he made this homemade, on-the-stove chocolate pudding. It looked absolutely delish! Milk Chocolate Pastry Cream: 3 cups whole milk 3 ounces good-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped 1-ounce unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped 6 large egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 12 ounces thin chocolate wafer cookies (recommended: Nabisco) 4 large bananas, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick 2 cups sweetened whipped cream Milk chocolate shavings, for garnish Place milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Whisk in both chocolates and heat until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.  Whisk together the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the chocolate-milk mixture and then return the mixture to the saucepan over medium-high heat and whisk until thickened. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and transfer to a clean bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap...

*Recipe comes from www.allrecipes.com*

A Plus Fair Corn Dogs INGREDIENTS: 1 quart oil for deep frying 1 cup all-purpose flour 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal 1/4 cup white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons bacon drippings 1 egg, beaten 1 1/4 cups buttermilk 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 pounds hot dogs wooden sticks DIRECTIONS: 1 . Heat oil in a deep fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). 2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in melted bacon drippings. Make a well in the center, and pour in the egg, buttermilk, and baking soda. Mix until everything is smooth and well blended. 3. Pat the hot dogs dry with paper towels so that the batter will stick. Insert wooden sticks into the ends. Dip the hot dogs in the batter one at a time, shaking off the excess. Deep fry a few at a time in the hot oil until they are as brown as yo...

Made these bread sticks for the first time today. The recipe has been in the family for awhile, but it's usually my sister-in-law that makes them. So... here's the recipe, because they're waaaaaaay to delicious to not share: You'll need the following ingredients: 2 teaspoons salt 2 cups hot water 3 tablespoons sugar 4 cups flour 2 tablespoons yeast 1/2 cup warm water 2 pinches sugar 2 cups flour 1 cube butter Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400, grease two cookie sheets. 2. Soften yeast and pinches of sugar in warm water. 3. Mix salt, hot water, 3 tablespoons sugar and 4 cups flour. 4. When yeast is dissolved add flour to mixture, mix well. 5. Add remaining flour, one cup at a time, mix well. 6. Divide dough into 2 halves. 7. Stretch each piece of dough to fit into a cookie sheet. 8. Melt butter, pour/spread over dough. 9. Sprinkle garlic powder and Parmesan cheese on top. 10. Bake at 400 until golden brown, about 13 minutes. Side Note: Once ours had 3 ...

This is a super easy (but from the sounds of it, "just like Grandma used to make") recipe. It has rave reviews too! 4 potatoes 4 eggs 1/2 stalk celery, chopped 1/4 cup sweet relish 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tablespoons prepared mustard 1/2 cup mayonnaise salt and pepper to taste Directions Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes; drain and chop. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water; peel and chop. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, celery, sweet relish, garlic, mustard, mayonnaise and salt and pepper. Gently mix together and serve warm.

So... last night we ended up making the pinapple ham and o f COURSE had to have mashed potatoes to go with it! I was completely out of milk (used the last of it in Beckham's sippy cup yesterday afternoon) so decided to grab a can of Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk and stirred in about 1/2 cup of it into our cooked potatoes (4 or so) with the half stick of butter, salt, and pepper. They were seriously the BEST mashed potatoes we'd ever eaten! They were yummy. :)

Yay! I'm so excited to try this ham tonight! It's the closest to my mom's that I could find! ♥ Sydney ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ Ham with Pineapple Submitted by: NODIETSFORME Rated: 5 out of 5 by 52 members Prep Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 20 Minutes Yields: 20 servings "A classic baked ham with a simple but tasty sweet brown sugar and pineapple glaze. This main dish will receive applause for its beautiful presentation as well as the irresistible flavor. You will definitely want to have some leftovers!" INGREDIENTS: 1 (12 pound) bone-in ham 1/2 cup whole cloves 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple rings in heavy syrup 1 (4 ounce) jar chopped maraschino cherries 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). 2. Place ham in a roasting pan. Score the rind of the ham with a diamond pattern. Press a c...

Well... I've decided that the best place to keep some of my fave recipes is a blog. Woo Hoo! Blog # 3, here we go! ♥ Sydney