Curried Leek Soup

 This was so yummy.  This recipe by Arnold Foss of Mercer Maine was submitted to Taste of Home.  When I made this, I used regular evaporated milk because that is what I buy. I've also tried it with vegetable broth and it was still great.

Curried Leek Soup

3 medium leeks (white portion only), thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrots
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 can (12 oz) fat-free evaporated milk

In a 3 qt saucepan, saute leeks and garlic in butter over medium heat until tender. Add the broth, water, carrots, celery, bouillon, curry powder and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Cool slightly.

Place 1 cup soup in a blender or food processor; cover and rocess until smooth. Return to pan. Add milk; heat through but do not boil. Yield: 4 servings.

Hobbit Seed Cake

I wanted a Hobbit based treat for the Dewey's 24 hour Readathon.  This is very likely what J R R Tolkein grew up eating.  I had to substitute poppy seeds for the caraway as my brother has trouble with caraway. Original recipe said to bake for 1 hour - cake is too dry.  50 minutes would work better.  Otherwise, this is a light scone in texture.

Recipe is taken from Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management, 1861 and I give credit to this link for posting it. http://www.innatthecrossroads.com/seedcake-the-hobbit/

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. of butter (2 sticks)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground mace
•  1 Tbs seeds (caraway is traditional, but I like poppy seeds)
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 2 cups flour

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the spices and seeds, followed by the eggs and brandy, beating to combine. Gradually add the flour, stirring until everything is mixed together completely. Pour this thick batter into a tin lined with buttered paper, and bake it at 350F for 50 minutes.

No pan size indicated, but other suggest 8-9 inch pan.  I used an 8 in square with parchment paper.

Mango Bread

This is a totally yummy quick bread recipe that for some reason never made it on my blog.  So now it will be!  This is from Taste of Home contributor Jo Sherley of Kuhului, HI.   Heavy on fruit, so pay attention to the pan size which is smaller than usual. Too big and the center won't be baked by the time the outside is done.  While this recipe came from the book, it is available online here.

Mango Nut Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups chopped mangoes
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or macadamia nuts

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In another bowl beat eggs, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in mangoes, dates and nuts (batter will be tiff). Spoon into two greased 8-in x 4-in x 2-in loaf pans. Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire racks. Yields 2 loaves

Ham and Pasta Casserole

Today's recipe is based on a recipe posted by Diana Rattray, the About.com guide for Southern Cooking.  I didn't write down the actual name of the recipe or I'd give a link to it.  This was a yummy way to use up leftover ham.  It's pretty similar to mac and cheese with extras.  I used a 2 quart, wide baking dish plus a 1 quart baking dish and there was still too many bread crumbs. So, I recommend starting with 1 cup and deciding whether the extra 1/2 cup seems too much.  I made some other variations, so this recipe reflects what I did.  If you add more pasta, you need to increase the milk or it will be too dry.

Cheesy Ham and Pasta

12 ounces penne pasta, about 3 cups
10 oz. bag of frozen peas
4 tablespoons butter
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
2 cups diced ham
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, about 12 ounces, divided

Topping
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter

Spray a 2 quart

Handy Meat Pies

:Photo from Taste of Home. To be replaced by my own soon.

My Mom made these and they are SO good!  They aren't very large so definitely 2 for most adults. So yummy!  Mom used italian sausage (squeeze out of tubes).  You can use hot if you want.

Originally published as Handy Meat Pies in Taste of Home April/May 1998

Handy Meat Pies

3/4 pound ground beef
3/4 pound bulk pork sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tubes (12 oz each) buttermilk biscuits

• In a large skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add onions and garlic; cook until tender. Stir in parsley, water, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Heat through. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• On a floured surface, pat 10 biscuits into 4-in. circles. Top each with about 1/3 cup of the meat mixture. Pat remaining biscuits into 5-in. circles and place over filling; seal edges with water. Press edges together with a fork dipped in flour; pierce the top.
• Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown and filling is hot.

Nutrition Facts

1 each: 214 calories, 10g fat, 29mg cholesterol, 593mg sodium, 19g carbohydrate, 11g protein.

Coconut Cake

This was absolutely yummy.  I wanted a coconut cake for my birthday and I wanted a frosting that wasn't so sweet. This was excellent!  This recipe is from Pillsbury.com.  I don't have 8 inch cake pans and used 9 inch instead, which meant that I couldn't torte them (split for 4 layers).  The center filling is just a little thicker.  I also found I didn't have to use anywhere near a whole bag of coconut.

Coconut Cake

1 box (1 lb. 2.25 oz) butter recipe yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup canned coconut milk
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
1/2 bag (14 oz) flake coconut
2 cups sugar
1 container (16 oz) sour cream
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease bottoms and sides of 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with shortening.  Lightly flour.  In large bowl, beat cake mix, butter, coconut milk, water and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Pour batter into pans.  Bake 33 to 38 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans to cooling racks; remove waxed paper. Cool completely, about 40 minutes.

In medium bowl, stir together 2 cups of the coconut, the sugar and sour cream. Spoon 2 cups of the mixture into large bowl; stir in whipped topping, coconut extract and 1 cup of the remaining coconut. Set aside.

Spread one-third (about 2/3 cup) of the coconut-sour cream mixture without whipped topping on first layer. Top with remaining layer, cut side down.   Frost top and side of cake with reserved coconut-whipped topping mixture. Press remaining coconut into top and side of cake. Cover; refrigerate 8 hours before serving. 

16 servings. Each serving 529 calories, 27g fat, 359 mg sodium, 66 carbs, 2g fiber, 5g protien.

Ham & Noodle Casserole

Ok, this was pretty yummy.  Not very diabetic friendly, but yummy.  FWIW, the rule of thumb if you are diabetic and want casserole is to limit your serving to 1 cup and have some salad on the side. I detest lots of added vegetables to casseroles.  I think it's a texture thing.

This recipe was submitted to Taste of Home by Ruth Hasting of Louisville, IL and is featured in one of their cookbooks (add title here).  The recipe, as it appears in the book uses low-fat this and that and I don't do that (most low fat stuff replace fat with sugar - worse for diabetics).  For mixed vegetables, I used peas and carrots. I just avoid combos that include green beans because they need to cook longer than the vegetables they are dumped in with and that result just doesn't work for me.  If you want a really strong ham flavor, quickly pan fry the ham after it is cubed. 

Ham and Noodle Casserole

6 ounces uncooked yolk-free fine noodles
1 1/2 cups (12 oz) small curd cottage cheese
1 package (10 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons grated Parmesian cheese
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 tsp dill weed or 1 tbsp snipped fresh dill
1/4 tsp salt

Cook noodles according to package directions, drain. In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add noodles and toss to coat.  Transfer to a 2 quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray.

Cover and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake for 5-10 miutes until heated thoroughly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield 4 servings.