Mom's Surprise Meringues

Baking, anyone?

This is the only cookie I bake at Christmas.  I'm no Scrooge, it's just that these are easy and I can pretty much create these dainty little crispy crunchy sweets with my eyes closed and guarantee they'll turn out great.  I'll leave all the fancy decorated butter cookies to my girls.

Surprise Meringues are my Mom's recipe, and I think she'll be happy that I'm sharing it with you! 

Here's the recipe.  Last time I baked I used both white chocolate and milk chocolate chips, but you can use anything that's stashed in your cupboard.  Long ago I penciled in the amount of the ingredients times four.  My philosophy?  If you're gonna go to all the trouble of baking, you might as well go big or go home.   

;-}

 

Beat 8 egg whites, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and cream of tartar, 4 teaspoons of vanilla til soft peaks form.

 

Add 3 cups sugar gradually, beating til peaks are stiff. 

 

Fold in 4 cups chocolate chips. 

 

Drop onto paper covered cookie sheets by teaspoon.

 

Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes.

 

Enjoy!

 

~~~>  So ... what kind of cookies are you pulling out of the oven?

 

* Sharing sweets with Donna  *  Jen  *  Rachel  *  Amy  *  Kristen  *  Becky  *  KariAnne



Any-Kinda-Fruit Cobbler

 

I love this recipe because it's so forgiving!  You can use any kind of fruit ... fresh is best, frozen is fine, and canned probably wouldn't hurt a bit!  A little under ripe, a bit over ripe works.  Sweet, sweet ... feel free to cut down on the sugar.  And use any kind of juice you have on hand.  Breakfast or brunch, afternoon tea or dessert, this is a WINNER no matter what season of the year!

 

 

 

THE RECIPE . . .

Beat 1 stick softened butter and 1 cup sugar.

Add 3/4 cup milk, alternating with 2 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Spread in greased 9" x 13" pan.  Sprinkle with 3 cups of chopped fruit and 1/2 cup sugar.

Pour 2 cups fruit juice on top.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons brown sugar.  Bake 10 minutes more.

Enjoy . . .

  

 

 

 

  

... AND Nancy's Tuesday Muse

Crunchy Little Kale Crisps

These are weird little babies, these kale chips.  You'll either love 'em or hate 'em.  I spied them at Trader Joe's the other day @ $3.99 for a 1 ounce bag.  But since it only costs a bit over a buck to bring home a huge bunch of this dark green leafy veggie, go ahead and experiment a bit.  What do you have to lose?

Absolutely huge in vitamins A and C and fiber, these crunchy little guys can be addictive.  With no artificial colors, they're not particularly attractive.  But they're so yummy you just won't care.

THE RECIPE

Tear one large bunch of kale leaves into 1" {more or less} pieces, eliminating the stem.

Place on 1 or 2 cookie sheets.

Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle liberally with garlic powder and sesame seeds.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes, stirring often, til crisps are ... CRISP!

Makes 8 cups.

If you don't devour them all in one sitting, you might need to toss them in the oven again to re-crisp after storing.

I promise that you'll feel so virtuously healthy!  Please do let me know if this is a thumbs-up or thumbs-down recipe at your house ...

 

 

 

 

 

Throw-It-In-The-Pot Sauce

Just about everybody has some sort of spaghetti sauce recipe tucked away somewhere.  It's such a staple!  This mistake-proof sauce came from my mom dozens and dozens of years ago, and since her father came right off the boat from Italy, you know it's gotta be good!

I don't consider myself a gourmet chef by any stretch of the imagination, but this family gem has morphed here and there along the way.  In other words, I don't measure anything anymore.  I just dump, sprinkle, toss.  I use fresh herbs whenever I have them.  And it is always delicious.  Tastes better each time its heated up.  And it's at its best after being frozen and reheated.

I love it spooned atop whole wheat pasta or nestled in a lasagna's layers.  And it's the crowning touch on any kind of ravioli.

Mom's original recipe included mushrooms which I despise, so they are omitted.  Feel free to add them ... or anything else you want to throw in the pot!  {And I've added my two cents into the mix in parentheses below.}

THE RECIPE

Brown 2 pounds of ground chuck {or turkey or sausage} and 1 cup chopped onion {or 2 onions}

Drain grease.

Add 1 teaspoon garlic powder {or 3-5 cloves of chopped garlic - the more, the merrier}

1 tablespoon oregano {I'm sure I use 3x as much}

1 tablespoon salt  {seems a bit much}

1/2 teaspoon pepper {it comes straight out of the pepper mill, and I'm sure it's more than that}

1/4 cup of parsley {at least ... maybe a 1/2 a cup?}

2 bay leaves {how 'bout 4 or 5?}

2 1 pound, 12 oz. cans peeled tomatoes {never ... only crushed tomatoes around here}

2 1 pound, 12 oz. cans tomato puree

Simmer 2 - 3 hours.  Serves 20. 



Linda's Fruit Scones

 

I just love making these scones! 

Easier to pull together than biscuits,
you can use blueberries, raisins, or diced dried apricots. 

 

 

 

Stir together 2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Cut in 1/3 cup butter.

Stir in 1/2 cup fruit.

 

Stir in 3/4 cup milk til dough just clings together.

 

 

Pat on lightly floured surface til round and 3/4" thick.

 

Cut into 8 wedges and place on greased cookie sheet.
Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
 

 

Bake at 425 for 12 minutes.

 

So absolutely yummy straight from the oven,
I just had to take a bite before grabbing the camera.  

Delicious morning, noon, teatime, or evening!  Enjoy!

Linda's Hamburger Vegetable Soup

This is the soup that you just can't live without. 

 

 

It's the one the kids inhaled ... even as picky teenagers.  It's simple, hearty comfort food that's so jam-packed with stuff that people can't believe it's not a stew.  It's healthy and filling and not terribly expensive to pull together.

 

It calls for ingredients that you probably have on hand.  You can use ground beef or cubed beef or leftover pot roast.  And whatever bits and pieces of veggies are laying around just begging to be redeemed.  You can toss in extra rice or pasta or whatever.  Go ahead and double or triple it for a pot luck dinner or when the family descends en mass.  Simply add more water to stretch it to feed 5000.  It's that versatile and oh-so-forgiving.

 

Cook on the stove or throw in the crockpot.  It only gets better with reheating.  And freezes spectacularly in a big ol' Ziploc bag or those ready-to-throw-in-a-lunch-bag plastic bowls. 

 

I've been using this recipe for decades ... and I promise that you will, too!

 

Brown 1 1/2 pounds ground beef.  Drain.

 

Add

3 cups water

3 chopped carrots

2 chopped celery stalks

1 large diced potato 

2 medium chopped onions

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Gravy Master

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon basil

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

 

Heat to boiling, lower to simmer.  Cover and cook 20 minutes.

 

As my Italian grandfather used to say ... Mangia {Eat!} ~

 



 

She's in the Kitchen?

Yes I am, thank you very much!  I have been known to roll on into the kitchen from time to time ...

and I've just got to share these two things today! 

#1

DOTTIE'S PINEAPPLE CAKE

I love this recipe! There's only TWO ingredients.

Does it get any easier than this?

Stir together 1 box of angel food cake mix and 1 can of crushed pineapple.

Pour into ungreased angel food pan or 9" x 13" pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Cool, remove from pan, serve with lots of whipped cream!

Thanks, Dottie!  The ingredients store forever in the cupboard.  It's a quick and yummy coffeecake for breakfast, a refreshing dessert after supper, a fairly healthy midnight snack, a pack-and-go pot luck treat, or a last minute birthday cake.

How good is that?

And since this takes next to no time to whip up, here's a super tool if you really get motivated to plan your menu for the week ...

#2

FREE DINNER MENU PLANNER

This handy baby even comes with a built-in shopping list ... you can go ahead and print it up here!

Or if you're like me, you could just graze for leftovers in the fridge, and then hunker down and watch another repeat episode of Chopped!

Bon Appetit ~

Linda