A Book Blessing

Here's a quote that was inside a church cookbook I once had. Just thought you might enjoy it.

A blessing be upon the cook
Who seeing, buys this little book
And buying, tries and tests its wares;
And testing, throws away her cares;
And carefree, tells her neighbor cook
To get another such a book.

She considered six professions;
Any one would challenge life,
But she practiced them together,
So they called her 'just a wife.'

Fresh Apple Breakfast Pie

Here's another recipe found on my Mac that I thoroughly enjoyed. This recipe hails from a pre-1970s cookbook. It's a light coffee cake. Refrigerate unused portions and reheat in the microwave. Yum.

Fresh Apple Breakfast Pie

Mrs. Harry Bergman

1 egg
3 tablespoons salad oil
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 large apples, each cut into 12 wedges

Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat together egg, oil and milk in medium sized bowl. Add biscuit mix, 1/2 cup sugar and nuts. Beat briskly with a spoon until well mixed. Turn into buttered pie plate. Arrange apple wedges over batter in a circle. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon. Dot with butter or margarine. Bake about 35 minutes or until done. Serve warm.

Swiss Chicken Casserole

I'm in the midst of clearing all needed files (nearly all recipes, but a few knitting as well) off my Mac 6200 CD which is going to go to be recycled. While going through stuff, I rediscovered one of my favorite casseroles. I totally love this stuff! Very easy to make as well. This recipe was submitted by M. Burton on the old ChickenRecipe.com website in1999 (since taken over by AllRecipes.com. I put the recipe as it was listed, but would recommend serving with a salad rather than rice or egg noodles.

Swiss Chicken Casserole

Submitted by M. Burton
A tasty spin on the usual chicken and stuffing casserole. Great served with rice or egg noodles.

6 skinless chicken breasts
6 slices Swiss Cheese
1 (10.75 oz) can of cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/4 cup milk
1 (8 oz) package herb stuffing mix
1/2 cup melted butter or chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Place chicken breasts in pan. Place one slice of Swiss cheese on top of each chicken breast. Combine cream of chicken soup and milk, and pour over chicken breasts. Sprinkle stuffing mix over chicken and soup mixture. Pour melted butter or chicken brother over top. Cover with foil. Bake for 50 minutes or until done.

Toasty Pumpkin Waffles (or Pancakes)

This was totally yum. We made them as pancakes and I would add maybe another 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder when done like this. I prefer fluffier pancakes. I thought the recipe for the butter was more than adequate for the amount of pancakes - no additional syrup necessary, but obviously, your mileage may vary depending on how much syrup you like. This recipe is from Tasteofhome.com. Several other readers recommended adding some pumpkin pie spice for zip.

Toasty Pumpkin Waffles (or Pancakes)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
4 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted
1/3 cup chopped pecans

Maple Cranberry Butter
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup butter, softened
Additional maple syrup, optional

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk the egg, milk, pumpkin and butter; stir in dry ingredients until blended. Fold in pecans.
2. Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions until golden brown.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine cranberries and syrup. Cook over medium heat until berries pop, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl; cool slightly. Beat in butter until blended.
4. Serve waffles with maple cranberry butter and syrup, if desired. Refrigerate or freeze leftover butter

Yield: 4 servings (1 cup butter).

If you have leftover pumpkin (and you will), try the Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes.

Perfect Pancakes

I love pancakes and since I can't really have them very often any longer (diabetes), I want the best pancakes all the time. Normally, I have buttermilk pancakes, but while housesitting for my sister, I craved pancakes and she had no buttermilk. So, I did a search. Found the perfect non-buttermilk pancakes. Tall and yummy! I love fluffy pancakes and had given up finding a truly fluffy pancake. But, lo and behold, one has appeared on the horizon! This one is from AllRecipes.com posted by Kris and I will include the link for additional information.


The batter is light and spongy. That was a clue that these would be fluffy. If you use 1/4 cup measure you will get 8 pancakes. I didn't and got 6. After placing the batter in the pan, I added some blueberries. Yum. After my extra pancakes are cooled, I'll stick them in a ziploc to freeze and later reheat in the microwave for another brunch. My Mom suggests placing a wet paper towel over them when zapping to keep the moisture in. That's what she does with homemade freezer waffles.


Isn't this just the coolest plate? My sis has a whole set of them and they just look cool. English Ironstone (J&G Meakin) and I'm sure they were probably from a rural auction, but I think they are a great find!


Fluffy Pancakes

• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• cooking spray

1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

Peachy Chicken

Yes, another chicken recipe! No oven and delicious. It's my adaptation of an old Weight Watchers cookbook recipe, but don't let that scare you! It's easy! It's yummy. I highly recommend using chicken legs or thighs. They have much better flavor than chicken breast meat. You can use fresh mushrooms - add them to the saute once the meat is done. You can also use fresh peaches, but you will need about 1/3 cup of pear or pineapple juice for the sauce if you use fresh peaches. Feel free to add more salt and pepper to taste - we're on a low salt cooking regime, hence the small amount of salt.

Peachy Chicken

4 large thighs (or any combo of chicken meat)
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
1 (15 oz) can of peaches in juice
2 (4 oz) cans mushrooms, drained
1/2 tsp garlic (granulated garlic can be used)
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Remove skin and cut the meat off the bone. Then slice into bite sized pieces (1/2 - 3/4 inch). Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken. Saute chicken on both sides in pan with a little vegetable/olive oil until browned. Then add chopped onions. Saute for 15 minutes, uncovered, on low heat or until chicken is completely cooked through. Cut each sliced peach into 3 pieces. Add peaches with juice, mushrooms, garlic and nutmeg to chicken. Mix cornstarch with a little cold water and poor into pan and mix well. Heat until hot and sauce is thickened. Serve with rice.

Chicken Spaghetti - Great for Microwave!

My sister says I haven't added anything in months, so here you go!! New recipe made in a microwave and it's great. Even better as a leftover. Easy with the cream of mushroom soup. If you need less salt or have no soup, then use a thick white sauce instead. If you do so, be sure to go heavier on the mushrooms. This recipe is from the book Just Like Mom Made: 1000 Family Favorites published by Reader's Digest. This is not a spicy dish, so add stuff like green olives if you like spicy.

Chicken Spaghetti

8 ounces spaghetti
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 cans (10 3/4 oz ea) condenced cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
2 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain. In a small skillet, saute the onion, green pepper and celery in 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the soup, mushrooms, spaghetti, chicken and cheese; toss to coat.

Transfer to a greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish (or 2 quart square pyrex dish). Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bacon; dot with remaining butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350 F for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 8-10 servings.

Note: If microwaved, give it 20-25 minutes on high.