Layered Jello Dessert

Doesn't this look yummy?

Nice striping.  Used smallish bowl for this.

There are several ways of making these jello desserts.  My Mom likes the one with sour cream.  She uses 3-5 strips depending on size of container.  There are 7 layer ones, but they are fussier and look better in glasses than larger containers.  No recipe with this one.  I'll include one with the Holiday version.  Already have the jello. :)

Celebration Cakes

Isn't this great! My sister made this for me.

This is my 2015 Birthday Cake!

Peanut Tomato Soup

This is totally yummy and can be done and in your bowl in minutes.  I love traditional Virginia Peanut Soup but at about 1,000 calories a bowl, you can only have a small serving.  You could make one of the newish recipes, but they just aren't equal to the task.  My late Dad and I agreed that this was actually superior and cheaper (admittedly, we had a certain fondness for Campbell's Tomato Soup).  For a slightly richer soup, use a little cream or half and half for part of the milk.  Recipe comes from The Peanut Butter Cookbook by William I Kaufmann (c. 1977).

Peanut Tomato Soup

1 can (10.5 oz) Campbell's Cream of Tomato Soup
1/4 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
1 1/2 cans of milk

In a saucepan, stir the soup into the peanut butter, a little at a time until well blended.  Add milk gradually while stirring (to avoid lumps).  Heat, stirring occasionally.  Serve.  Makes about 3 cups.

Cherry Winks

 These are such yummy cookies. Not sweet like most cookies.  Very unusual.  Love 'em.  My Mom tells me that my grandmother made these when she was a child (which would be the 30s and 40s), so a traditional cookie.  All evidence indicates that the cookie recipe originated with Kellogg's Corn Flakes.  However, there are a number of variations, so I don't know what the original is.  Most recipes use 2 teaspoons or either baking powder or baking soda, but my Mom's recipe uses only soda and then only 1/2 tsp.  I guess she's tried some of the variations and this is what she settled on. It sure is yummy.


Cherry Winks

2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c. oleo or butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup chopped dates
1/3 cups chopped maracschino cherries
2 2/3 c. Corn Flakes cereal, crushed to 1 1/3 cups
15 quartered maraschino cherries

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat oleo and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs. Beat well. Stir in milk and vanilla.  Add flour mixture. Mix well. Stir in nuts, dates, and chopped cherries.  Shape level measuring tablespoon of dough into balls. Roll in crushed corn flakes. Place on greased baking sheets. Top each with cherry quarter. Bake at 350F for 10 to 14 minutes or until light browned.

Poteca Nut Roll

My Mom grew up enjoying Poteca, made at holiday time by her Dad's mother (who came from Slovania c. 1900), but never actually made it herself until now. YUM!!  This is not a very sweet tasty treat, but it is very yummy.  Mom substituted ground pecans because a family member does not like walnuts. You can buy them preground for less than grinding yourself, but that's up to you.  This specific recipe is from the book Taste of  Home Grandmother's Favorites.  It was submitted by Mrs. Anthony Setta, Saegertown, PA. She got the recipe from her MIL who came from Yugoslavia at roughly the same time as my grandfather's mother. 

Poteca

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 - 115 F)
3/4 cup warm milk (110 - 115 F)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup shortening
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract, optional
4 cups ground or finely chopped walnuts (or pecans)
milk

milk
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, optional

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add milk, sugar, salt, egg, shortening and 1 1/2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

For filling, combine butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon extract if desired and nuts. Add enough milk until mixture is of spreading consistency, about 1/2 cup; set aside. Punch dough down. Roll into a 30-in. x 20-in. rectangle. Spread filling to within 1 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams and ends to seal.

Place on a greased baking sheet; shape into a tight spiral. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. If desired, brush with a glaze of confectioner's sugar and milk.  Yield 1 coffee cake.

Please note: you can cut the roll in half and make 2 smaller coffee cakes. Perfect if this is just for 3 or 4 people.

Pumpkin Waffles

My sister tried this recipe and it is oh so yummy.  We use homemade pumpkin rather than canned. Run the pumpkin through a blender and consider using just a tad less milk since homemade pumpkin has more fluid than solid-pack.

This recipe comes from the following blog. It's copied and pasted exactly as originally published:
https://pumpkinwaffles.wordpress.com/ultimate-pumpkin-waffle-recipe/

Ultimate Pumpkin Waffles Recipe

INGREDIENTS
makes 4 round “Belgian” style pumpkin waffles


• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg*
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and warm
*Grated and lightly packed into the spoon, use 1/2 tsp. Grated and loosely scooped, this is about 1 tsp. of nutmeg. If you have to use pre-grated, dried nutmeg, use 1/4 tsp.

DIRECTIONS
1. Lightly oil the waffle iron with vegetable oil, and set it to the desired temperature.
2. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk together to break apart the cornstarch. Add the remaining dry ingredients, and whisk to blend.
3. Separate eggs: yolks go in a medium sized bowl and whites get set aside in a smaller bowl.
4. Add pumpkin and milk to the egg yolks. Whisk to blend and set aside.
5. Whip egg whites with a hand mixer on high until stiff peaks form – about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. Set aside.
6.Pour melted butter into the yolk/milk/pumpkin mixture. As you pour, whisk to combine.
7. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix them together until just combined. A little lumpiness is fine. That will smooth out when the egg whites are added.
8. Slide the whipped egg whites out of the bowl and onto the mixture you just prepared. Gently fold them in until no white bits are obvious.
9. Once the waffle iron is heated, you’re ready to pour the batter! In my Presto FlipSide waffle maker, cook time is exactly 2 minutes 30 seconds.

Honey Mustard Chicken

This is a wonderful honey mustard chicken!  Use this as a base recipe and feel free to add other things to it like chopped onions. Substitute peaches for pineapple or use no fruit at all.  I used about a tablespoon short of a 1/4 cup of honey and it was still great, so don't hesitate to cut it just a bit.  The original recipe used Dijon mustard. Well, I didn't have any and used regular old yellow mustard. Superb! Lately, I've been eliminating Dijon mustard from recipes and replacing with ordinary yellow mustard.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I detest boneless skinless chicken breast for every day cooking. I prefer thighs or legs.  Far more flavor.  I use the boneless chicken for other things like chicken strips. This recipe is by Jean Ecos, Waukesha, WI and from the Best of Country Chicken, Taste of Home Books.

Tangy Pineapple Chicken

4 pieces of chicken, skin removed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 can (20 oz.) unsweetened sliced or chunk pineapple
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup honey
2-4 garlic cloves, minced

Sprinkle chicken with thyme, salt and pepper. In a skillet, brown chicken in oil.  Meanwhile, drain pineapple, reserving the juice. Cut pineapple rings in half and set aside.

Combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons juice until smooth; set aside. Combine mustard, honey, garlic and remaining pineapple juice; mix well. Add to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Remove the chicken and keep warm. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add to pan; bring to a boil. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Return the chicken to pan. Top with the pineapple; heat through. Yield: 4 servings.

Chicken Liver Pate

Finished pate in ramekin with vegetable crackers (1/2 recipe).

I was guided to this recipe by the wife of a fellow ereader fanatic and totally love it (Jan's old blog).  Do try her simple Cranberry Walnut Bars.  Easy and quite good.  If not in a hurry, chop the cranberries in half.

Now, this is a recipe for those who like braunschwieger. I love it, but have only used it in sandwiches with Miracle Whip. So this is a new use!  Use whatever liver you want.  If you hunt, I'm sure deer liver would work just as well.  This recipe originally comes from BBC's Good Food and there is a link for it here.

I made some changes in quantities partly due to my lack of smell, but also because the amount of fat rendered from bacon varies a lot by type and brand.  You need some fat in this recipe or your result will be a tasteless gray paste.  I've already cut some fat from the original, but going further was unpalatable.   I did not add any additional salt since bacon already has enough in it, but feel that I was perhaps stingy with only 1/8 tsp black pepper.  I completely changed the last step.  If you cannot or choose not to use any wine, I would search for other recipes.  The wine does add significant flavor in this recipe.  Try the red box wine in your fridge if you don't have sherry.    Also, if you are using microwaved bacon or precooked bacon, add another tablespoon or 2 of butter since you won't have the bacon fat.

Finally, if you only want enough for 1 or 2 people, you can do this recipe with frozen chicken livers!  Make half the recipe and freeze the remaining chicken livers uncooked.  Let them thaw and then cook as instructed. Add any liquid in the freezer bag along with the wine.  Could you make the whole thing, freeze it, thaw it, stir it up and serve?  I think not.  Fresh thyme and rosemary lose a LOT of flavor once they are frozen. Dried thyme would taste like mud.  You could leave out the spices and add them once thawed, but you really aren't saving anything on time and cleanup, so kindof a waste, IMHO.

No fresh garlic? Use what you have at double the amount.

Chopped bacon appears to retain more fat than unchopped. 

 Chicken Liver Pate

1 pound chicken livers (or beef or deer)
1 tablespoon butter
7-8 strips unsmoked, streaky bacon (chopped)
2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried
 2 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped, plus more to sprinkle over finished pate
1/2 cup sherry or other red wine
1/8 tsp. pepper
toasted brioche, raisin bread or hearty crackers, to serve

1. Rinse the chicken livers and cut away any dark patches and small stringy threads.  Pat dry with paper towel. Heat the pan and add the bacon. Fry until crisp.  Drain off all but 3 tablespoons of bacon fat.  Add 1 tablespoon butter. Then add garlic, chicken livers and thyme and fry briskly for about 5 minutes, until they are evenly browned. They should be nicely browned on the outside, but pink inside and should feel squashy when pressed.
2. Add the sherry, and salt and pepper to taste,then bubble for a few minutes. Remove from heat.  Blitz the mixture in a tall container with a hand blender, food processor or blender. Add more sherry if the result is quite thick.  Refrigeration will thicken it further.
3. Place the pate into one large or several smaller serving crockerys or ramekins.  Sprinkle with plenty of chopped rosemary.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before serving.

I used my hand blender and the result was quick and easy.  Cleanup is easy too. If you use a blender, you may have to use slightly more sherry to get the mixture to properly blend, but it completely depends on the shape of the bottom of the blender.