Oatmeal Raisin Cookies -- a new favorite

Story:

When we were young, my big brother and I used to make cookies on Sunday afternoons on a regular basis.  And if I remember correctly, I hated rolling the cookies on the trays, and he hated doing the dishes.  So that became kind of the deal: I would do all the clean up, if he put them on the sheets and and baked them.  I think that part just took too long for me and I hated waiting around the kitchen for each batch to come out.  This recipe was one that I remember making with him.  And I also remember occasionally delivering them to certain boys on Sunday evenings.  Heehee.  Fun memories.

This was one of my mom's recipes, originally called: Three-Way Oatmeal Cookies.  The idea is to, after you make the dough, divide it into three sections, adding 1 cup of raisins to one part, 1 cup of chocolate chips to the second part, and 1 cup of butterscotch chips to the third part.  So it's like you make three different kinds of cookies, with just one batch!  Great idea... but I've grown a little too lazy.  So I just turned the whole thing into one big batch of oatmeal raisin cookies... and I've added the measurements of cinnamon and nutmeg too, to meet my preference.

We recently found ourselves without chocolate chips on a Sunday afternoon, so we gave these a try.  Everyone liked them... and I think it was just kind of a nice way to mix things up after years of Ben's Triple C cookies on Sundays. Tasty little things.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C shortening

2 C brown sugar

1 C sugar

2 eggs

1/2 C water

2 t vanilla

2 C flour

2 t salt

1 t baking soda

2 t cinnamon

1 t nutmeg

6 C rolled oats

2 1/2 - 3 C raisins

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in the order listed.  (I usually switch from the beaters to the kneaders when it's time to put in the oats and raisins.)

Spoon onto baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 11-12 minutes.

Note:

My husband and I have kept up the Sunday cookie tradition.  But now, when we put them away on Sunday nights, we divide them up into a bunch of sandwich baggies and stick them all in a container in the freezer so they are ready to throw into the lunchboxes in the mornings.  These cookies, in particular, thaw nicely.  We hope you like them too!

Cream Tuna Fish & Peas on Toast

Story:
Cream Tuna Fish and Peas on Toast.  Really? Sounds weird, I know.  But I grew up having this dinner and I always loved it.  I haven't made it for a while, and the other day my kids were asking for it.  It is super good, everyone loves it, and I always have the ingredients on hand.  I'm making it tonight, and my kids are looking forward to it!

Growing up, I don't think any of my friends' families EVER ate this.  I guess I kind of wondered if my mom's mom made it up.  But I just looked it up online, and found several recipes for it and several comments of people who grew up in big families eating this when money was tight.  Kind of a frugal, generational type dish, I guess.  On my quick search online, I found a few different variations on how to make the white sauce; below is my mom's version.

It's basically just a white sauce.  Add tuna.  Add frozen peas.  Serve over toast!  That's it.

Ingredients:
4 T butter
4 T flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper (error on a little less than more)
2 C milk
1 can tuna (or two if they are the really little ones--has anyone noticed that Costco small cans are 7 oz, and the grocery stores are 5oz??)
frozen peas (as many as desired; I throw in a lot)

Directions:
Melt butter over low heat in a saucepan.  Blend in the flour and the seasonings.  Cook over low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth and bubbly.  Remove from heat.  Stir in the milk.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Boil for one minute.  (Makes 2 cups of sauce.)
Add 1 can of well-drained tuna fish.  Stir into the sauce.  Add as many frozen peas as you want.  And warm through.
Serve over toast.

TIP: We love using PIZZA CUTTERS for lots of things.  For cutting up our waffles, pancakes, and of course pizza.  This is another time we use the pizza cutter to quickly and easily cut the sauce-covered toast up into nice sized bites.  Just an idea...

Korean: Ddeokbokki (spicy rice cake)

Story:
As I've mentioned before, my husband and I both served a mission for our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) in Seoul, South Korea.  Of course, we weren't married then... but AFTER the missions, we started dating and we were married not long after.  People often ask us if we speak Korean to each other.  It would be great if we did, but, well, English is a whole lot easier!  But we DO try sometimes.  And we do try to read scriptures in Korean.  And we have been known to occasionally get somewhat addicted to Korean dramas.  And we do LOVE Korean food.  For the record, I will admit that I was the world's pickiest eater before I lived in Korea for over a year (and I *may* have shed a tear when I was assigned to serve in Korea...mostly for fear of the food).  But now, the smell of kimchi makes my mouth water and I keep dried seaweed in my pantry at all times.

I took a quick trip to the Asian Market last week to purchase some of the aforementioned kimchi... and I saw some dduk (pressed rice cakes) sitting there in a bag waiting for me to take some home to make ddeokbokki.  Yum.  It's not the healthiest of Korean foods (probably why I like it and my husband not-so-much), but it is tasty (and not too scary for you new-food-a-phobics).  I'm going to make some tomorrow, and I wanted to go ahead and record the recipe here for easy access.  I found a Korean food blog that is pretty fun... www.maangchi.com ... which is where I found this ddeokbokki recipe.  I will record my simplified adaptation here (namely, I will not make the kelp and anchovy broth that she does... I'm sure it's awesome, but I'll just go with chicken broth.  Sorry Maangchi! I'm sure it's fab.)  And I'll go for the milder flavor recipe, because it might be tricky enough to get my kids to try it, and if it's too spicy, then it certainly won't fly.

Ingredients:
tube-shaped rice cakes for ddeokbokki
4 (to 6) T hot pepper paste
1 T sugar
4 green onions, cut into 1 or 2 inch pieces
4 C chicken broth

Directions:
Bring 4 cups of chicken broth to a boil.
Add the rice cakes (about a pound).
Add 4-6 tablespoons of the hot pepper paste and about 1 tablespoon of sugar.
Stir constantly.  Stir until the sauce is thick and the rice cake is shiny.
Transfer onto a plate to serve.

*I've only made it once, and it was great.  If it turns out okay tomorrow, I will add a picture here!* 

Rice Krispies Treats... maybe the best thing ever.

Story:

Yes, I am actually posting just the good ol' fashioned original Rice Krispies Treat recipe.  It might seem boring... but these treats are everyone's favorite, right?

Besides, if I put the recipe here, then maybe I'll remember to make these little squares of happy gooey-ness more often!

Also besides, I admittedly often buy the generic brand of Rice Krispies, and generic brands don't have the recipe on the box.  So, I usually have to go online and look up the measurements again. Perhaps a "real cook" wouldn't need measurements, but as stated before, I am no "real cook"... just a recipe follower.

Besides (again), this recipe does have one secret ingredient.  Some years ago when I was on a Rice Krispies Treat making kick, I took some to my friend Traci.  She said her kids ate them and were like, "Whoa! These are good!"  And she was like: "What? I make Rice Krispies Treats all the time." And they were like, "No, these are different!"

Vanilla.  It's the vanilla, guys.  It takes our traditional little sweet treat to a new level.  Seriously.

Ingredients:

4 T (1/2 stick) butter
4 C mini marshmallows OR 1 (10-oz) package of regular-sized marshmallows
1 t vanilla extract (recipe said "optional" -- I say it is not optional.  Just do it.)
6 C Rice Krispies cereal (or equivalent)

Directions:

Butter a 9x13 baking dish.
In a large pan, melt the butter over low heat.
Add the marshmallows and stir until the mixture is all melted and smooth.
Take off the heat.
Stir in the vanilla.
Add the cereal. Stir until the cereal is all coated evenly.
Spread the mixture into the buttered pan. I like to pat it in with a spatula (sometimes having to butter up the spatula a little bit first).
Let them cool and then cut them into squares.

Like I said... always a fave.

Mom's Beef Stew

Story:
This is the beef stew I grew up with.  It still reminds me of home.  And my mom.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs beef cubes
3 medium carrots, sliced 1/2 inch slices
1 or 2 onions, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and quartered (or eighth-ed)
1 pkg frozen peas
1 can golden mushroom soup
1/2 can of water
1 t salt
dash of pepper
1 bay leaf

Directions:
Combine all ingredients (except the peas) in a crock pot.
Cook on high for five hours.
Add peas last 10 minutes or so, before serving.

Delicious and comforting.

Christmas Wassail

Story:
What is wassail, you ask?  The first answer is: "Here we come a'wassailing, tralalalalala..."  The second answer is it's apple cider with a citrus twist.  It is yummy.  But I almost like the smell just as much as the flavor.  Mmmm.  Smells like Christmas.

This recipe is from Ben's Aunt Kendalyn.  Love her.

I've started making this when our family watches the First Presidency Christmas Devotional on the first Sunday of December every year.  We like inviting friends over to watch it with us... and it's a fun way to usher in the Christmas spirit.

Ingredients:
*Spices:
1/2 C brown sugar
2 C water
5 whole cloves
4 allspice berries
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 piece ginger root

*Beverage:
2 C orange juice (or pineapple juice)
1 C lemonade
1 qt apple cider (or apple juice)

Directions:
Combine all the spices in a small pot.  Bring to a boil.  Then cover and simmer about an hour.
Then add all the spices to the liquids.  I like to combine everything in my crock pot and serve it out of there.  Like Aunt Kendy says, "It's like havina potpourri you get to drink!"

Shrimp Tacos

Story:
We love fish tacos.  Ben especially loves shrimp tacos.  We make them like our fish tacos (corn tortillas, maybe some cabbage, etc) but Ben has learned a few ideas to make them even yummier!

One benefit of Ben's work (as a physical therapist) is he works with all kinds of people.  All kinds of people in all kinds of professions.  He recently worked with a professional chef.  With how much Ben likes food, they had a lot to talk about.  Ben told him how much he likes fish tacos, so this man gave Ben a few fun tips/recipes.

Guac-Sauce
Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
1 small can salsa verde
1 dallop sour cream

Directions:
Mash the avocado and stir in the salsa verde and sour cream.  Just spoon over the fish/shrimp on your taco.

Pickled Red Onions
Ingredients:
1 red onion, chopped
2 t oil
2 ounces rice vinegar (that's what Ben wrote down... seriously? 2 oz?  I dunno... maybe a "splash")
1 T sugar
pinch of salt

Directions:
Heat the oil in a pan.  Add the chopped onion and cook in oil for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes.  Add the "splash" of rice vinegar and the sugar and the salt.  Simmer for 7-8 minutes.

Shrimp Tacos
Ben prepares the shrimp.  I don't know how.
But lightly pan-toast up a corn tortilla, place a few shrimp onto it, then some thinly-sliced cabbage, some guac sauce, and some pickled red onions... voila!  The best-ever shrimp tacos!
OH! And the LIME!  One of Ben's all-time favorite accent flavors... lime wedges.  Feel free to squeeze some yummy limes over the top.  Mmmm.

NOTES:
I especially love the red onions.  They add a nice crunch.  The chef said you can keep them in the fridge for a week or so and use them on lots of dishes.  One day, I didn't have any fish done up, but I put some shredded cabbage on a plate with the guac-sauce and the red onions over it and ate it like a salad.  Even that was good (and simple!)

Chrystal's Kentucky Bean Soup

Story:
We moved to Arizona (from Kentucky) in August of 2011.  We lived with my brother and his family in Mesa while we looked for a house.  There was a gal in his ward who I became friends with (and she was my visiting teaching companion).  Ethan and her oldest boy played together... which was great for Ethan to find a friend.  Chrystal S. is awesome.  The funniest part is she is from Kentucky and a lot of her family is still there!  So we played the name game here and there and it's all cool like that.

Well, my brother's family moved out in October and we were still there (still couldn't find our own place).  One evening in December, Chrystal dropped off a little "Christmas neighbor gift" for us. So nice!  I loved that it was the recipe and ingredients for "Chrystal's Kentucky Cornbread" and "Grandma's Pinto Bean Soup."  It was kind of a like a taste of "home."  Loved it!

Now, a year later, I'm pulling out the recipe to try making it again.  You know, it's almost fall-like weather here now... temps have dropped below 100, so I feel like making soup again!  Heh.

Ingredients:
1 C dry pinto beans
1/4 t oregano leaves
1/4 t ground cumin
1/2 t pepper
1 t salt
1/4 t garlic powder
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
8 C water

Chrystal's Directions:
Wash beans.  Cook beans in the water and boil for 2 minutes.  Turn off heat for 1 hour.  Add seasonings (oregano, cumin, pepper, salt, garlic), onion, and tomato paste.  Cook 1 1/2-2 hours or until tender.
Fill a blender 1/2 full with soup and puree it.  Pour into a bowl and puree the rest of the soup.  Sprinkle with cheese and serve.
Her notes:  I like to put the 8 C of water in a pot and boil the beans.  If I am short on time, I will boil them for 15 minutes, otherwise just a few minutes.  Then I dump all the water and beans in the crock pot and add the rest of the ingredients.  I turn it on high until I am ready to blend and eat the soup at the end of the day.

So there you have it, from a real Kentuckian!  Thanks again, Chrystal!  I appreciated the recipe... but even more, your friendship!

Crepes

Story:
My favorite breakfast all growing up!!  Crepes.  My mom called them French Pancakes.  One of Ben's patients gave him (the following) recipe and she called them Swedish Pancakes.  Whatever you call them, they are great.  I think I had them every year on my birthday for my special birthday breakfast.

And yet somehow I forgot about them until recently. [Well, I don't know if I totally forgot, but I never really liked the idea of me standing at the stove making crepes while everyone else was already sitting and enjoying...]  Well, I made them for my kids last Sunday, and they all loved them as well.

I like them with strawberries and whipped cream.  I've seen them with pudding inside.  Whatever you want, really.  My mom told me that my sister makes them with chicken or something inside as a dinner dish... gotta get that "recipe" from her!

Please note that this recipe is already doubled from the original.  I tripled it when I made it last Sunday, and that was too much, so I think I'll always use this double version for my family.

Ingredients:
6 eggs
2 1/2 C milk
1 1/2 C sifted flour
2 T sugar
1 t salt

Directions:
Beat the eggs and stir in the milk.  Sift the dry ingredients and add to the mixture.
I need to use a little non-stick spray on my pan first (but I wipe it a little with a paper towel so the spray flavor doesn't get on the crepe).
Spread a thin layer in the hot pan and when it slides a little, flip once.
Make a whole pile, and enjoy!

Cream Puff Dessert

Story:
Ben's Grandmommy loved to cook and bake and entertain.  She had stacks and stacks of cooking magazines around her house.  I picked this recipe up from one of her "Quick Cooking" magazines years and years ago.  And I haven't made this dessert for years and years (so I can't even say if my kids like it or not)... but I want to make it again soon, so I thought I'd post it here for convenience.  I remember one time I made it (way back when we were still in married student housing) and I took it as such a compliment when Ben's little sister asked, "You MADE this?!"  She thought I had picked it up from a bakery or something. heehee.

Ingredients:
The PUFF:
1 C water
1/2 C butter
1 C flour
4 eggs
FILLING:
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softenened
3 1/2 C cold milk
2 pkgs (3.9oz each) instant chocolate pudding mix
TOPPING:
1 carton (8oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/4 C chocolate ice cream topping
1/4 C caramel topping
1/3 C chopped almonds

Directions:
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring water and butter to a boil.  Add the flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms.  Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beaut until smooth.  Spread the dough into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until it is puffed and golden brown.  Cool completely on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, milk, and pudding mix until smooth.  Spread over the puff and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Then spread with the whipped topping and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Drizzle with the chocolate and caramel toppings and sprinkle with the almonds right before serving.
Cut into squares (like a cake) to serve.  Yum!