Amish Friendship Bread

FRIENDSHIP FOOD

A girlfriend of mine gave me a bag of Amish Friendship Bread starter along with directions.  The directions are very specific.  At the end of 10 days, it is ready for you to add the additional ingredients and pass on a starter to some friends.  Today I baked my portion and it wa absolutely delicious!

This is a great idea for a complimentary item for your Supper Swap entree.

Or you can pass it on with Amish Friendship Soup, Mason Jar, 24 oz.

It also makes for a great Holiday gift idea.

After you have made or recieved a starter follow the following directions below:

Important Note: Don't use metal spoons or equipment. Do not refrigerate. Use only glazed ceramic or plastic bowls or containers.

Required Main Ingredient
1 cup live yeast starter (see above)
day 1: Do nothing with the starter.
days 2-5: Stir with a wooden spoon.
day 6: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Stir with a wooden spoon.
days 7-9: Stir with a wooden spoon.
Day 10: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Stir. Take out 3 cups and place 1 cup each into three separate plastic containers. Give one cup and a copy of this recipe to three friends. To the balance (a little over one cup) of the batter, add the following ingredients and mix well.

1 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl combine the following dry ingredients and mix well:

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 - (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup nuts

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix and pour into two well greased and sugared bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Enjoy!


 

Taco Soup

TACO SOUP

Ingredients:
1 medium onion

1 can corn

2 can beans (black, pinto, kidney, white, etc.)

2 can Stewed Tomatoes

1 Can green chilies

1 package taco seasoning (dry)

1 package Original Ranch Dressing Mix (dry)

Optional:

Add tortilla chips and or a sour cream

Directions:
Saute meat and onion.
Add rest of ingredients, mix well and simmer 30-45 min.

What a Crock of......Soup!

Recently, I dug out the Crock Pot  from my appliance graveyard cabinet.  I eyed it like a foreigner.  I wondered where it originally came from.  If my memory serves me I think it was a wedding gift.  One of those obligatory items I thought I had to register for. Its history dates back to the 70's and slow cooking even further back. 

I never pictured myself as an Ozzie and Harriet sort of wife but I thought I would attempt to get to know this new/old appliance. Now that I was welcoming this new visitor back into my home, I figured I best learn its language. So out came the step stool to help me reach the upper shelf where the cookbooks collected dust and down came the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: Feasting with Your Slow Cooker cookbook.

Little did I know this odd little appliance would soon become my best "Mother's Helper!"  The crock pot is ideal for making large quantities for supper swapping, freezing extra helpings etc. 

With the wonderful odor emanating from it, it creates the grand illusion that I have been slaving in the kitchen all day.  Throw a little flour on your face and greet your spouse at the end of the day. I guarantee you will be greeted with "MMMMMM smells good.  What's cookin?"  Oh nothin, you reply.  Just a little something I whipped up...NOT! 

One of my recent forays into crock pot cooking was French Onion Soup.  It makes approximately 10 servings and was delicious.  I have included the recipe below for you to try.  Enjoy!

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Ingredients:
8-10 large onions, sliced (Note: its worth shedding a few tears over)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
6 10 1/2 oz. cans condensed beef broth
1 1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
10 slices french bread toasted
Grated parmesan and/or mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Saute onions in butter unitl crisp-tender. Transfer to slow cooker.
Add broth, worcestershire sauce.
Cover. Cook on low 5-7 hours, or until onions are tneder.
Ladle into bowls or french bread bowls.
Top each with a slice of bread and cheese.
Microwave to melt cheese.

  

Bulk Buying and Meal Planning

FROM WAREHOUSE TO MY HOUSE

I can not extol enough the virtues of bulk buying and having a second freezer. I guarantee over time, this will save you time and money!  Our second freezer is in the garage.  We have a large pantry to accommodate the oversize dry goods inside. However, if you don't have the space inside, designate a shelf in your garage.

My family and I conduct what we refer to as "The Big Shop" at either Costco or Sam's Club 1-2 times a year.  When we return home we form an assembly line and label freezer bags using a Sharpie with the date and name of each item. For tips on how to freeze food properly and avoid freezer burn  visit the highlighted link above.

If you are located near a Sams' Club, a little known secret is the Click N' Pull Service.  You can shop on-line and schedule your pick-up. No more wandering through the warehouse filling your cart with "wants" rather than "needs". Your cart is ready for you on arrival.  You may still need to shop for desinated perishables like meats.  This can be done online or if you already completed your "Big Shop" you can supplement what you need at the local supermarket.

Once you are stocked, you can then plan your meals on a weekly or monthly basis including the ingredients you have in-stock. You can thumb through cookbooks, subscribe to a meal planning service or use meal planning software.

If your meal planning for a day that you are doing a supper swap you can increase the ingredients in the recipe easily for the amount of people needed to serve using meal planning software.  The added advantage of using a meal planning software is that many will generate a shopping lists for you of ingredients that you may need to purchase for a particular recipe.

 Fix, Freeze, Feast: Prepare in Bulk and Enjoy by the Serving - More than 125 Recipes.  Don't spend every night slaving over the stove. Pre-plan, prepare, pre-cook and spend that valueable time saved with your family!

Sorrento/Precious Cheese's Spring Sweepstakes!

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Ham & Bean Soup

HOMEMADE HAM & BEAN SOUP

When its cold outside, soup is such a comfort food.  This is a great recipe made from leftovers. It can be doubled or tripled etc. for a great supper swap meal and it also freezes well.

I buy a ham with the glaze packet from either Costco or Sam's Club.  Once cooked it is good for several meals and lunch meat.  Once the ham is carved and down to scraps and bone, I make the following recipe. 

Day One
1-2 20 oz bags of bean soup mix, 15 bean variety
Sort and wash the beans
Mix beans in a collander under running water
Place mix in a plan
Cover with water
Soak beans overnight

Day Two
Drain the beans  
Add two quarts of water per package of beans
Add ham, ham hock, bacon or soup bone (Note: I use the cuisinart to shred the ham scraps after cleaning off the fat)
Bring to a boil
Simmer slowly for 2 1/2 - 3 hours

Add the following:
1-2  large diced onions
1-2 15 oz.cans of tomato
Red bell pepper (optional)
1-2 Tsp chili powder
2 Tbls lemon juice
1 clove minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy!  

Quick Meal Planning

QUICK MEAL PLANNING

As every mom no doubt knows, life is hectic! Whether you work out of the home, in the home, or look after your children full-time, a mother's job is definitely straining and stressful. Mothers have to keep their home clean, do laundry, mend scraped knees, chauffer the kids to school and activities, help with homework, and on top of all that, they still have to figure out the answer to that eternal question - what's for dinner? For all the moms out there, looking for a way to take some of the hassle out of family meals, there are a few tips that you have to know.First of all, choose a quiet time once a week when you have enough time to sit down and prepare your menu for the week ahead. If possible, schedule this time on your calendar for every week at the same time. Planning ahead takes a lot of hassle out of trying to decide what's for dinner each night. Look through your cupboards, fridge, and freezer. Make a mental note of all of the food you already have in there. If you're not one that can remember such things, think about taking a written (or printed) inventory. Then, as you use things, you can add them to your next grocery list! As you think of menu ideas and plan your grocery list, you should start with the food you'll need for dinner. You should plan your next week's dinner around the food that you already have. For example, if you have pasta, all you have to do is add a pasta sauce and ground beef to your list and there you go - spaghetti with meatballs. Plan as many dinner ideas as you possibly can around what's already available in your kitchen. Once you've run out of meal plans, then you can start planning new meals from scratch. Got dinner taken care of? Good. Now move on to breakfast. In many houses, this is fairly easy. Children like to eat things like toast and peanut butter, hot or cold cereal and fruit in the morning. With breakfast sorted, move on to planning lunch. If you have older kids who prefer to eat the school lunch, you don't really have much that you have to worry about. If you have small children who are still at home, many times, they can actually be satisfied with leftovers from the night before! To top off your grocery list, add all of the snacks, fruit, milk, juice, and various other little extra items that always seem to be in need. Keep your weekly food shopping at exactly that - just once a week! Plan your weekly meals - all of them - and do just one shopping trip. It saves you a lot of time and money as you don't have to keep going back and forth to the grocery store, and you're less likely to buy impulse items. Save yourself some time on food preparation too! Stick your weekly menu on your refrigerator so that all you have to do is glance at it to know what meat needs to be set out to thaw, or what ingredients need to be put in the slow cooker. This helps a lot as you can make a mental note of how much time you'll need to prepare dinner. If you take the time to plan things out, you'll actually save more time than you lose in the planning and you'll definitely save money. It really does pay to plan ahead and be prepared! With little thought and a bit of planning, you're well on your way to almost completely hassle-free meals. If only you could get your children to eat their vegetables!

Mexican Quiche

MEXICAN QUICHE

4 eggs
1 cup light cream
1 cup milk
1 16 oz.can mexican corn
1 16 oz. can pinto beans
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles - mild
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Paprika
1-2 pastry shells, pie crusts or crescent rolls

Pre-bake pie crust if needed or for crust using crescent roll dough, roll dough out into triangles, press into bottom and up the side of a 10 1/2" or 11" pie pan.

Mix together eggs, cream and milk and cheddar cheese
Drain cans
Pour 1/2 can each of corn beans and chiles into pie pan
Pour liquid mixture into pans
Add more shredded cheese on top
Shake a dash of paprika on top
Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until a fork comes out clean from the center.

Googies! - AKA Italian Delight

GOOGIES (AKA) ITALIAN DELIGHT

This is a family favorite. It's my Mother-in-laws recipe. She had nine children. Imagine feeding that crew!

2 boxes of 8oz. Shell Macaroni (substitute whole wheat shells)
1-2 lbs. hamburger meat
3 medium minced onions
Ground pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic
2 cans whole kernel corn
1 can of kidney beans (optional)
4 - 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1-3 cups grated cheese (depends on how much cheese you want)
1-2 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon worchestershire
1 Tabelspoon chili powder

Saute Meat, onions and garlic
Transfer to casserole dish
Stir in tomato sauce and all remaining ingredients
Cook macaroni and add to casserole
Toss carefully
Refrigerate overnight to mellow
About 1-1/2 hours before serving preheat oven to 350 degrees
Bake uncovered until bubbly

Notes:
The original recipe has you saute the meat and onions in 1/2 lb butter or margarine and includes 1/2 cup of sherry. I elected to not do this.
This casserole freezes well.
For a vegetarian version you can include a meat substitute like ground turkey or leave the hamburger out.