Day 66

What's on the menu:

Stew

My church cooked a stew this morning so stew was our meal today.

Tomorrow will be my last post until after Christmas if I decide to come back.

Day 65

What's on the menu:

Black bean soup
Quesadias

Black bean soup

1 lb. dried black beans
2 smoked ham hocks (I used only one)
2 TB white vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups water
6 cups beef broth
4 cups chopped onions

Clean and soak beans. In a large saucepot, combine broth, ham hocks and 4 cups of water. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 1-1/2 hours . Add drained beans, onion and garlic to saucepot. Return to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 3 hours. Remove ham hocks and cut off meat, discard bones and skin. Remove 3 cups of beans and puree in blender or food processor. Return puree to saucepot and stir to blend. Add vinegar and ham.

Quesadias

Flour tortillas
Kraft four cheese (cheese in a bag)

On a hot griddle place tortilla, sprinkle cheese mixture all around, top with another tortilla. Heat and brown one side and then flip and brown the other side. Slice in quarters with a pizza cutter.

Day 64

What's on the menu:

Barbecue chicken
Baked beans
Garlic Italian bread

Barbecue chicken

I take one fresh whole chicken and cut into half right down the middle of chicken. I place into a microwave dish and cook 15 minutes on each side. This cuts the cooking time on grill in half and cooks the chicken at the bone.

Place on grill and cook until done and brown to your liking. About 30 minutes before done start dipping into barbecue sauce ( John Boy and Billy) and continue dipping whenever you turn chicken over. I can only find this sauce at Food Lion and Bass Pro.

Baked beans

Empty 1 large can of Bush's Baked Beans in baking pan. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 medium chopped onion, 1/4 cup real bacon bits, salt and pepper to taste and stir together. Bake at 375 degrees about 45 minutes or until done.

Garlic Italian bread

Spread bread with butter at room temperature and sprinkle with McCormick California style garlic salt. Place on sheet pan and broil on low until light brown all over.

Day 63

What's on the menu:

Nothing on the menu tonight. I had to get groceries this morning. This afternoon I took in-laws halfway to meet my sister-in-law as my father-in-law has to have chemo tomorrow. On the way home I stopped by Nursing Home in Warrenton, NC to visit my Aunt Eva. She and her two brothers and her sister were playing Bingo as they do every Wednesday on their visiting day. Eva had both legs removed but she will lift your spirits. Her brothers and sisters all range from age 80 to age 91 and they go to visit her faithfully every Wednesday. They let her win almost every time but she doesn't know that. Her two brothers will chime in and win sometimes so as not to give away their secret.

Day 62

What's on the menu:

Pan grilled Tilapia (recipe on Day 41)
Homemade slaw (recipe on Day 49)
Leseur peas
Hushpuppies

Leseur peas

Drain liquid out of can and refill and empty into pot. Add salt, pepper and 1/2 TB of butter and bring to boil and then simmer for a few minutes.

Hushpuppies

I used House of Autry ( the recipe is on back of bag)

Day 61

What's on the menu:

Homemade vegetable soup
Homemade pimento cheese sandwiches

Homemade vegetable soup

Recipe for soup is on Day 7. I froze several containers the day I made my soup so I took one of the containers out of freezer and heated up for dinner tonight.

Pimento cheese

1 16 oz block of sharp cheddar cheese
1 4 oz jar of pimentos (drained)
Miracle Whip

I put my cheese into food processor to shred. Put cheese into bowl and add drained pimentos and enough Miracle Whip to combine everything. (for this amount it will take between 1/4 to 1/3 cup).

I toasted our bread to make our sandwiches.

Day 60

What's on the menu:

Chicken salsa verde
New York cheesecake

Chicken salsa verde

1 package Simply potatoes southwest style hash browns
1 pkg. sour cream (8 oz)
1 pkg. (about 1 pound) boneless skinless chicken thighs (or can use boneless skinless breast)
1-1/2 tsp. ground mesquite or chipolte seasoning
2/3 cup salsa verde (green salsa)you may substitute tomato salsa
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
-chopped avocado
-chopped green onions
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place Simply Potatoes and sour cream in dish, stir together. Spread evenly over bottom of dish. Rub both sides of each chicken thigh with mesquite seasoning. Place on top of potatoes. Cover. Bake 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

2. Uncover; top chicken with salsa verde. Sprinkle with cheese. Continue baking uncovered, 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with avocado and green onions as a garnish.

This is a new recipe. I found it on the back of the package of Simply Potatoes (southwest style hash browns). My husband and I enjoyed this. I like trying new dishes. My husband never knows what will show up on our dinner table.

New York cheesecake

6 Honey Maid honey grahams, crushed
1 cup plus 3 TB sugar, divided
3 TB butter or margarine, melted
5 pkg. (8 oz. each)Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
3 TB flour
1 TB vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 13 x 9 inch pan with aluminum foil. Mix crumbs, 3 TB sugar and butter; press onto bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla until blended. Add sour cream; blend. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed until blended.

Bake 40 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours. Use foil to lift cheesecake from pan.

Top with pie filling and serve.

I got this recipe out of my October issue of Southern Living. I've never made my cheesecake this way before but I have to say I love the way it sliced and it's presentation was better than the traditional cheesecake. I've never put flour in my cheesecake either.

Day 59

What's on the menu:

Cabbage rolls
Platter of cheese

Recipe for cabbage rolls are on Day 35. I had a yard sale this morning and planted 16 dozen tulips bulbs. Those tulip bulbs got me. I had to take some Aleve to recuperate. I have to sing a solo at church tomorrow so need to practice. Today was a busy day.
I just love those frozen meals. Just pull them out of the freezer and pop them in the oven and cook.

Day 58

What's on the menu:

Nothing is on the menu tonight. My husband is at his hunt club where the men are preparing a big feast. I ate out.

Day 57

What's on the menu:

Red beans and rice

2 lbs. dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight (I used 1 lb)
1 lg. green pepper, chopped
1 TB cayenne pepper
2 to 3 ribs celery, chopped
1 lg onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TB salt
1 link smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 slices
Black pepper to taste

Pour off soaking water and add new water to beans. Add onions, garlic, celery, pepper, salt, black pepper and cook down to 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Simmering. Add sausage and keep covered with water and cook for another 1-1/2 hours. Serve with rice and hot sauce.

This recipe came from my Aunt Mable's church cookbook.

To my blog folks, I will probably be going off blog time in about another week. I have shared about two months of menus and recipes. I do hope you have enjoyed them as much as I have enjoyed sharing them with you.
This blog idea came to me about two months ago when my Red Hat group went to see the movie Julia and Julie. So I thought I'd give it a try and see what happened.
I will start my Christmas shopping in about a week. In December I do my cookie bouquets, candy boxes, cookie and candy trays, etc. So I stay very busy the month of November and December.
I usually have lots of frozen meals already in the freezer and pull them out at this time.
I may come back on after Christmas but not sure.
So to all who have followed my blog, I thank you.

Day 56

What's on the menu:

Calzones

1 loaf of frozen bread dough ( let thaw a couple of hours)
1 jar of your choice marinara sauce
8 oz mozzarella cheese (shredded)
1/2 lb. Virginia baked ham or black forest ham
6 slices hard salami
Pepperoni slices

Cut the loaf of dough into half and roll out each half into a 12 inch circle
In the middle of each half spread the sauce across in a row
Layer the ham on top of sauce
Layer the salami on top of ham
Place pepperoni slices on top of salami
Spread shredded mozzarella cheese across top of pepperoni

With wet pastry brush, brush edge of bottom half of circle. Bring top half of dough down over bottom half and seal edges.
Bake at 375 about 30 minutes until golden brown. I like to brush the dough with butter when it comes out the oven.

Day 55

What's on the menu:



Nothing on the menu tonight. We had dinner at the in-laws. A lot of out of town folks came to visit father-in-law in hospital with cancer.



I made a blueberry pie ( recipe on Day 51), potato salad ( recipe on Day 8)
and a Best ever lemon pie

Best ever lemon pie

1 baked pie shell
1-1/4 cup sugar
6 TB cornstarch
2 cups water
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 eggs, separated
3 TB butter
1-1/2 tsp lemon extract
2 tsp vinegar

Mix sugar and cornstarch together in top of double boiler. Add the 2 cups of water. Combine egg yolks with juice and beat. Add to rest of mixture.
Cook until thick over boiling water for 25 minutes. This does away with starchy taste.
Take off heat and add butter, vinegar and lemon extract. Stir thoroughly. Pour into pie crust.

Never-fail meringue

1 TB cornstarch
2 TB cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
3 egg whites
6 TB sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Blend cornstarch and cold water in saucepan. Add boiling water and cook, stirring until clear and thickened. Let stand until completely cold.
With electric beater at high speed, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff, but not dry. Turn mixer to low speed and add salt and vanilla. Gradually beat in cold cornstarch mixture.
Turn mixer again to high speed and beat well. Spread over pie. Bake at 350 degrees until brown.

Day 54

What's on the menu:

T-bone steaks
Baked potato
Tossed salad

I think we all know how to cook the above. Nothing like a good steak on the grill.

Day 53

Homemade chili
Side salad
Crackers

Chili

The recipe for chili is on Day 27. When I made chili on Day 27, I froze several containers so on a day like today I could just take it out of freezer and heat.
I serve it with shredded cheese on top and a dollop of sour cream.

Day 52

What's on the menu:

Hamburger and gravy
Mashed potatoes
String beans
Chocolate macadamia cookies

Hamburger and gravy
I put a pound of ground chuck in a bowl and added 1/2 onion finely chopped, 1/2 tsp basil, salt and pepper. Make out little round meat balls.
In a skillet cook and brown the meat balls on all sides until done. Remove and place on paper towel.
There will not be a lot of drippings from the ground chuck. I added 1 TB of butter to my drippings. Stir and melt butter and add 1/2 chopped onion and stir and cook about 2 minutes. Add 1 TB flour and stir and brown. Add about 2 cups of water and bring to boil until starts to thicken, add salt and pepper and turn heat down.
Add meat balls back to gravy and simmer for about 15 minutes. This adds flavor to the meat and the meat adds flavor to the gravy.

Mashed potatoes
Peel and thinly slice potatoes and put in salted water and bring to boil. Cook about 20 minutes until done and drain.
Add softened butter and cream with electric beaters. Add pepper to taste.

The browned gravy is so good served over the mashed potatoes.

String beans
I used my home canned ones. Put string beans in a pot and add water and 3 slices of bacon and a little chicken broth. Bring to boil and cook about one hour. Add salt and pepper at the end to your taste.

Chocolate macadamia cookies
1 -1/4 cups butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup macadamia nuts

Cream butter or margarine and sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt, blend until creamed mixture. Stir in macadamia nuts.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes. Do not overbake. (Cookies will be soft, they will puff during the baking and flatten upon cooling). Cool until set. Remove from cookie sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

I found this recipe in a Hershey's chocolate treasury cookbook. I bought this cookbook over 20 years ago at our school book fair.

I wish I owned a stock in macadamia nuts. To half of the cookies; I put softened vanilla ice cream between two cookies, wrapped with parchment paper and put back into freezer.

Day 51

What's on the menu:

Pork chops
Potato salad
Black eyed peas

Pork chops

I bought the boneless chops and sprinkled salt and pepper on each side and dipped in House of Autry chicken breader. The breader keeps the chops moist when you put them on a George Forman grill. Grill until brown on each side.

Potato salad

Peel and cut up potatoes into small pieces and put in salted water and bring to boil. Cook for about 15-20 minutes on medium heat.

Drain and put into a bowl. To the potatoes add 3 boiled eggs ( diced), dill pickled (diced), mayonnaise, a little mustard, salt and pepper to taste. I also like to peel and quarter an onion and put that in my salad to flavor. I do not like to chomp down on a raw onion.

Black eyed peas

1 lb bag of dried peas
Soak in water for at least 5 hours or over night.
Drain and put in pot with new water. I added 3 slices of bacon for seasoning and a little chicken broth.
Boil for about 1 1/2 hours and add salt and pepper to taste.

Day 50

What's on the menu:

Chicken Parmesan
Garlic bread sticks

Chicken Parmesan

Tomato sauce:
1 TB olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably organic
1 TB balsamic vinegar
salt to taste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Chicken:
Cooking spray
4 thin chicken cutlets (about 1-1/4 pound total)
salt to taste
2 large egg whites
6 TB dry Italian bread crumbs
2 TB grated Parmesan
3 TB all purpose flour
4 to 5 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Tomato Sauce: Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the flavors are blended and the sauce begins to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in the basil.

Chicken: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle the cutlets with the salt. Lightly beat the egg whites in a medium bowl. Combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan on a sheet of waxed paper. Spread the flour on another sheet of waxed paper. Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dip both sides into the flour, shaking off excess. Dip each piece into the egg whites, shaking off excess, and then press both sides into the breading to coat.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken, in 1 layer, to the baking dish. Spoon the sauce over the chicken then sprinkle with cheese. Bake, covered loosely with a tent of foil, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly, about 12 to 15 minutes.

I got this recipe from Food Network.

Garlic bread sticks
These came fresh in a bag and I just put them on a baking sheet and baked at 400 degrees until brown.

Day 49

What's on the menu:

Crab cakes/ steam shrimp
Homemade slaw
Baked potatoes
Hush puppies
Apple jacks

Crab cakes

1 (16 oz) can of Phillips Crab (bought at Food Lion)
Recipe is on back of can

Phillips crab cakes
1 lb. crab meat
1 egg
2 tsp worcheshire sauce
1/4 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice
1 TB mustard
1 TB melted butter
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp Phillips seafood seasoning
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Combine all ingredients except crab meat. Fold in crab meat. Shape into cakes . Pan fry or bake . I pan fried mine on my griddle with a little olive oil.

Steamed shrimp
Put shrimp into a bowl with about 2 cups water, 1 can light beer, 2 lemons squeezed ( put rinds in also), bay seasoning, garlic salt and let set for an hour.
Drain liquid out and put into a large pot. Bring to boil and add shrimp back to liquid. Bring this back to boil only.
Drain and add a little more butter, bay seasoning and garlic salt while steaming hot.

Homemade slaw

Grate cabbage and put into a bowl. Add mayonnaise, little mustard, little sugar, salt and pepper. Stir all together and add a little sour cream.

Hush puppies

I use House of Autry hush puppy mix. The recipe is on the back of the bag.

Baked potatoes fixed to your liking

Apple turnovers

I slice my apples ( the little ones from the farm trees) and fill my 8 x 10 sprayed dish. To the apples I add just a little water ( maybe 3/4 cup), sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and put several pieces of butter on top.
Bake at 375 for about an hour and a half stirring and chopping every so often. The apples will be completely cooked and dark brown.

I use Grands buttermilk biscuits. Place biscuits on a little flour and roll out with rolling pin. Place about 2 heaping TB apple mix onto biscuit. Wet outer edge of bottom half of biscuit and fold over and crease with fingers and then fork.
Fry in hot grease in electric fry pan on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper bag covered with paper towels. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon (1/2 cup sugar to 1 tsp cinnamon) mixture on top of hot turnovers.

We have out of town guest tonight from Georgia. It is so nice to have Steve here with us tonight. I thoroughly enjoyed having him for dinner. He just made over everything and how delicious it was.

Day 48

What's on the menu:

Ham
Turnip salad (turnip greens)
Devil eggs
Homemade applesauce

Ham

1 Smithfield ham slice
Place ham slice into frying pan with a little water and boil on each side until the water is cooked out. Continue to fry ham until brown on each side. Take ham out and add 1/4 water back into pan where the meat browned and let water come to boil. This will make a gravy like glaze to serve with the ham.

Turnip salad

I cooked my once a year pot of turnip salad today and froze my yearly quota.
I went out to a farm about 1/2 mile from my house and picked salad for 1 1/2 hours. I was way back in a field close to the woods where no one could see me and it was all very quiet. About an hour into picking all of a sudden about two feet from me I heard noise and rustling and all of a sudden this dog is on my leg. Well I about messed myself. I talked to that dog about 5 minutes like he was human telling him how he had scared me to death. It took me that long to get my heart beat down.

I came home and washed all the salad and put into a huge pot of boiling water with a ham hock in it. I even added about 5 slices of bacon as it was a huge pot. It boiled about and hour and as it cooked I add a little sugar, salt and pepper every so often until the taste was to my liking.

I drained and chopped and froze and kept one bowl for dinner tonight. It was so tender and fresh. I love to cook it this way and whenever I want it during the year, I only have to go to freezer and take it out. It just needs to be heated and it's ready.

Deviled eggs

Boil eggs in water about 15 minutes and a little salt so the shells won't crack. Drain and cool and peel the shells off. Cut the eggs in half. Put the cooked yolks into a small bowl and mash. Add a little mustard, mayonnaise and salt and pepper and mix all together. Put back into egg halves and sprinkle red pepper or paprika on top if like.

Homemade applesauce

I made applesauce about a month ago and took out a jar of that.

Day 47

Day 46

What's on the menu:

Nothing is on the menu tonight. My in-laws invited us over for dinner tonight. It's always nice to have someone else cook for you.

Day 45

What's on the menu:

Chicken cordon bleu
Butter beans
Buttered garlic noodles
North Carolina's favorite sweet potato pie

Chicken cordon bleu

4 chicken breast halves, boned
1/2 cup margarine ( I use only butter)
2-1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs ( I use store bought)
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
4 (1-1/2 x3 inch) slices boiled ham ( I use Va. baked ham)
4 (1-1/2 x 3inch) slices Swiss cheese

Pull or cut each breast open in middle to form pocket. Melt margarine in pie pan. Make fresh bread crumbs in blender or processor. Mix crumbs with salt and paprika in a second pie pan. Stuff each breast with a piece of ham and a piece of cheese. Roll stuffed breasts in melted margarine, then in crumbs. Coat well. Place in buttered baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until brown.

I got this recipe out of a Rocky Mount, NC Junior Guild cookbook. My friend Nancy gave me this cookbook many years ago.

Butter beans

I used my frozen beans I put up this summer. Place beans in pot of water to cover the beans and then about a cup of liquid chicken broth. To this I add 1 pack of the powdered chicken broth and some butter buds. Cook about an hour or so and add salt and pepper.

Buttered garlic noodles

Boil egg noodles in salted water until done. Drain. Add a little butter and stir. Then add a little McCormick California style garlic salt. Stir until all the noodles are well coated.

North Carolina's favorite sweet potato pie

1-1/4 cups cook mashed sweet potatoes
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 package) French vanilla instant pudding
3/4 cup evaporated milk
2 large eggs, at room temperature
6 TB butter or margarine, softened
1-1/2 TB vanilla extract
9 inch unbaked pastry shell

1. In a large bowl of electric mixer, combine first eight ingredients. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Spread evenly into unbaked pastry shell.
2. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake 40 minutes longer or until set.

I went to a sweet potato festival many years ago and I picked up this little mini recipe book with all sweet potato recipes in it.

Day 44

What's on the menu:

Homemade chicken pot pies
Side dish of cheese wedges

Chicken pot pie

Recipe is on Day 3. This is Barefoot Contessa's recipe that I changed just a little.

Day 43

What on the menu:

Nothing is on the menu tonight. I painted 10 hours today. I ordered out.

Day 42

What's on the menu:

Lasagna
Side salad

Lasagna

Recipe on day 30. When I made the lasagna on that day I put one dish in freezer and cooked the other one. Today all I had to do was take the dish out of freezer and place in oven and bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubble. It will take about an hour as it is hard frozen coming out of freezer.

I just loves these kind of meals. Out of freezer and into oven and you have a homemade meal.

Side salad

Fix as you like. I used green leaf lettuce, carrots, broccoli, cheese and bacon bits.

Day 41

What's on the menu:

Pan grilled tilapia
Pear salad
Baked beans

Tilapia

On a flat griddle put about 2 TB extra virgin olive oil and 1 TB butter and heat to medium high heat.
Sprinkle each side of the fish with salt, pepper and old bay seasoning and place on hot griddle.
You want to cook each side until very brown and then turn over and cook the other side very brown.
You are not blackening the fish but get it very brown.
Yes you will make a mess on your stove top but it is worth it.

Food Lion had their tilapia today, buy one bag and get one free. I do love those specials. I love how each fillet come individually wrapped and you can take out the amount you want.

When you take the fish up and put on platter there will be no grease.
On top of platter with fish, drizzle 1/4 butter (melted) and juice of one lemon.
Then put fresh chopped parsley over top of everything. ( I still have lots of stuff still growing in my herb garden)

I got this recipe off the back of a large pack of tilapia at Sam's Club. Theirs is the best but Food Lion's is good too.

Pear salad

Place a bed of green leaf lettuce on plate, add pear halves.
On top of each pear half, dollop about a tsp of mayonnaise
On top of mayonnaise add one maraschino cherry
On top of place sprinkle graded cheddar cheese
Sprinkle pecan halves all around outside of plate (optional)

I'm generous with pecans as we have so many in our pecan orchard on the farm.

Baked beans

1-28oz can of Bush's homestyle bake beans
Pour in greased dish.
Add 1 medium green pepper chopped
Add about 1/4 cup brown sugar
Add about 1/4 real bacon pieces ( in the bag)

Stir all together and bake at 350 degrees until done, about 45 min.

Sorry I'm running late tonight; had choir practice.

Day 40

What's on the menu:

Whole baked chicken
Fried carrots
Creamed sweet potatoes
Texas toast

Whole baked chicken

Sprinkle the chicken inside and out with seasoning salt. Place on rack above burner racks (where you would place buns, etc.) and cook 1 -1/2 hours and then go back and turn over and bake another 1 -1/2 hours. I only turn two of my burners on.

The chicken is so juicy and tender.

Fried carrots

1 bag of waffle cut or long shredded cut carrots (10 oz)

In a large skillet melt 1/2 stick of butter and add bag of carrots, salt and pepper and place top on pan. Cook stirring every 5 minutes on medium high heat. I like mine browned a lot. It takes about 20 minutes depending on the heat you use.

My 91 year old bachelor Uncle Leslie wants his carrots no other way but like this.

Creamed sweet potatoes

Boil sweet potatoes in water until done. Peel and put in bowl and mash. To this add just a little butter, a little sugar, a little cinnamon and a little vanilla. The potatoes are already done so it's ready like this but I like to place marshmallows on top and just indent each one slightly. Place in the microwave about a minute or so until marshmallows are melted.

Texas toast

Spread softened butter on each side of toast and broil on low until each side is golden brown.

Day 39

What's on the menu:

Beef tips with mushroom, onion gravy
Creamed potatoes
Corn fritters

Beef tips

There's a grocery store here that cuts their beef in little tiny pieces which I love. I put the beef tips in my small pressure cooker, add mushrooms, salt and pepper, half of an onion (chopped) and water to cover beef and a little higher. Cook 20 minutes after pressure gets up on medium heat.

Take top off and add thickening for gravy. I put about 2 TB flour in a small jar with enough half and half to coat, maybe a little more. Put top on jar and shake until all is incorporated. Pour into beef tip mixture and simmer for about 5 minutes more.

Creamed potatoes

Cook peeled potatoes in salted water until done. Drain. Add 3/4 stick of butter at room temperature, pepper and cream with beater.

Corn fritters

1 cup self rising flour
1/tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 -1/2 cups fresh corn cut from cob (about 3 ears)
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vegetable oil

Hot vegetable oil

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large mixing bowl, mix well and set aside. Combine eggs, corn, milk, and 2 tsp vegetable oil. Stir corn mixture into dry ingredients.

Drop mixture by rounded tablespoons into vegetable oil heated to 375 degrees; cook fritters until golden, turning once.

Please let me hear from you if you are reading my blog so I'll know if I need to continue blogging.

Day 38

Cajun chicken pasta

Sauce:
1-1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp cajun seasoning
1/2 cup soft margarine (I use butter)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp salsa

Marinade:
Lowry's mesquite marinade

After chicken has marinaded, grill (I use chicken breasts)

Heat sauce to melt all ingredients. Stir often. Serve sauce and grilled chicken (sliced) over linguine noodles.

The band teacher Tony at school shared this recipe with me many years ago.

Day 37

What's on the menu:

Chicken tenders with honey mustard dipping sauce
Cream corn
Macaroni and cheese
Beth's no crust coconut pie

Chicken tenders

Fresh chicken breast (cut each breast into 3 tenders)
Soak in buttermilk several hours, dip into House Autry chicken breader, add salt and pepper and cook in deep fryer until golden brown

Honey mustard dipping sauce is usually half honey and half mustard or the consistency you like

Cream corn

Cook 1 quart of fresh corn (I used mine I froze this summer) in about 1 quart of water maybe a little more in medium sauce pan, add 1/2 stick butter. Boil at medium heat for about 40 minutes. Then add salt and pepper and thickening and continue to cook on low for about 10 minutes.

Thickening
2 TB corn starch in 1/4 cup warm water

My Aunt Mable use to make this at Thanksgiving.

Macaroni and Cheese

Boil macaroni in salted water until done. Drain and put in a mixing bowl. Add graded cheese, pepper, little butter, little sour cream and stir all together.
Pour into greased dish. Add more graded cheese on top and bake until all melted.

Beth' no crust coconut pie

1/2 stick butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
4-7 oz coconut
1/4 cup self rising flour
2 eggs at room temperature
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar

Mix all ingredients. Pour into 9 inch pie dish (nonstick or sprayed)
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until center is firm to the touch.

My friend Beth shared this with me.

Day 36

What's on the menu:

Chicken and rice
Grilled cheese sandwiches
Chocolate bread pudding

Chicken rice

Put about 4 quarts of water in a large pot and add chicken. I used 1 breast and 6 long legs.
Add 1 onion chopped
1 celery stalk chopped
Cook about 45 minutes and debone chicken and put back into broth. Add salt and pepper to taste and enough rice to what you need. I added about 3/4 cup.
I added just a pinch of saffron but this is not necessary. My daughter went to Turkey on vacation and brought me some back. I have never had any saffron in my cubbard as it's way too expensive in U.S. But I was so excited to have some and wanted to use it.

Cook over low heat about 30 minutes or until rice is done.

Grilled cheese sandwiches

I use chunk cheddar cheese and spread soften butter on each side of sandwich. Grill on griddle. If cheese is not quite melted enough, pop in microwave about 10 seconds.

Chocolate bread pudding

6 cold biscuits (homemade works the best)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 cup milk
4 heaping TB cocoa
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup coconut (optional)
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Crumble biscuits well. Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix well. Add cocoa, sugar and melted butter. Spray 8 inch pan with Pam. Spread mixture into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes until dry on top.

I got this recipe from my Aunt Mable's church cookbook. My biscuits were left from my menu two days ago.
I always add a glaze to all my bread puddings so they will look more appealing. This just something I made up.
Glaze
1/4 cup sugar
2 TB flour
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 TB Hershey's chocolate syrup
1/2 cup water
Stir above ingredients and cook on medium high heat until it boils. Stir for about 3-5 minutes until thickens a little.
You want a glaze not icing. Pour over pan of hot bread pudding.

Day 35

What's on the menu:

Cabbage rolls
Side platter of cheese wedges

Cabbage rolls

This recipe came from my husband's Aunt Liz in West Va. I went for my first visit as a newly wed to West Va. and this is what she made for us. I had to fry up a pan of southern fried chicken in exchange.

I halved her recipe as half makes over two meals for us. Half of a recipe make 12 cabbage rolls. I freeze half and cook the other half.

4-5 heads of cabbage
2 lb. sausage
6 lb. ground beef
2 large onions (diced)
5 eggs
Salt
Pepper
3 cups uncooked rice
1 large can tomato juice

In a large pot fill 3/4 full of water, bring to a boil. Take each head of cabbage and cut about 1 inch all around the core and 1-1/2 inch into the head. Put cabbage into boiling water and cook until leaves can be pulled away from the head. Cook about 10-15 minutes. Take as many leaves off that will come off. Cook remainder of that head of cabbage until the rest of the leaves loosen enough to come off. Do not over cook them because the leaves will get too soft and they will fall apart when you roll them.

Place cooked leaves on cookie sheet to cool. When they have cooled off place leaf in your hand with the back side of the leaf facing up. Cut the large vein on the back of the leaf with the rest of the leaf. This will make it easier to roll. Set aside.

Cook rice. Set aside. Mix ground beef, sausage, onions, eggs, salt and pepper together. Add cooked rice.

Take cabbage leaf and put desired amount of the meat mixture on the bottom part of the leaf. Start rolling the leaf around the meat, when the meat is covered fold one side of the leaf in and continue to roll until the whole leaf is used. Then tuck the other side of the leaf into the meat.

In a roast pan, line bottom of pan with the extra cabbage leaves. Fill the pan with the cabbage rolls, stacking them on top of each other if necessary. Put more leaves on top and pour tomato juice over them and cover.

Bake at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours.

This recipe can be cut down. I freeze some of them to cook later. When you freeze them, do not cook them.

If you freeze them first, put them into freezer bags and freeze. When you want to cook the ones you have frozen, just take out of the freezer, put into roaster, pour tomato juice over them and bake.