German Pancakes

So I just discovered the other day that many people have never experienced German pancakes. I was completely surprised because we ate them regularly growing up and continue to eat them. They are sooo yummy. If you've never had them, you have to try this recipe. You won't be disappointed. FYI: They poof up and look funny- that's okay!

1 c. flour
1 c. milk
6 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
2-4 Tbsp. butter

Place butter in a dripper pan (9x13) and put in oven while oven is preheating to 425. Blend flour, milk, eggs and salt in a blender until smooth. Pour mixture over melted butter and bake for 12-14 minutes. Serve with syrup, powdered sugar, fruit, whipped cream, whatever you like!

Buttermilk Syrup

This is a family favorite. It is so yummy and almost tastes like caramel.

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2. c. butter (not margarine)
Melt together and bring to boil
Add: 1/2 tsp. soda and 1 tsp. vanilla

Serve immediately over pancakes, French toast or waffles.

Tapioca Jell-O Salad

This is a very creamy, very yummy fruit salad.

1 small box Tapioca pudding
1 small box Vanilla Cook and Serve Pudding
1 small box Strawberry Jell-O
3 c. water
1 (8 oz.) Cool Whip

Stir everything together in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and let cool. Add cool whip and fresh, sliced strawberries.
Other variations: Orange Jell-O/Mandarin Oranges, Raspberry Jell-O/Raspberries.
You can also make it without fruit.

Saucy Pork Chops

This is my favorite pork chop recipe.

1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can water
1/4 c. ketchup
2-3 tsp. worcestershire sauce
6 pork chops

Brown pork chops, put sliced onion on top. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chops and onions. Cover and let simmer for 45-60 minutes.

Sunday Chicken

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes. We usually eat it with a baked potato and green salad. It is really tasty.

1 package Budding beef (thin sliced lunch meat, Budding is the brand)
1/2 lb. bacon
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream

Grease a 9x13 or cookie sheet and layer the meats in this order: one slice of budding beef, one chicken breast, 1 slice of bacon. Bake on 350 for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is done. While the meat is cooking mix together the cream of mushroom and sour cream. When the chicken is done, pull it out of the oven and cover it with the soup and sour cream. Place back in the oven for about 15 minutes. Take out and serve.

Chicken and Rice

Hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving. I am having a hard time getting back into the swing of things and have been lazy with my cooking. Here is what I made tonight. It is super easy and quick to make but really tasty.

1 can cream of mushroom
1 can cream of chicken
1 1/2 soup cans of water
2/3 c. uncooked rice
1 package dry onion soup mix
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Mix everything together except for the chicken and pour it into the pan. Dip chicken breast in melted butter and lay on mixture. Cover and bake 2 1/2 hourse at 350. I usually omit the butter part (saves a few calories) and I usually cook it in a crock pot. I put the chicken down first and pour everything else on top. Today I cooked it on high for six hours.

Pie, Oh How I Love Pie!

Here are a few of my favorite pie recipes. I am usually lazy and buy Marie Calendar's frozen crusts!! Hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving. I won't be posting any more recipes until after the holiday.

Pecan Pie- This is my mom's recipe and it's one of the best I've tried!
3 eggs
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. dark Karo syrup
1/2 c. light Karo syrup
1 c. pecan halves

Beat eggs and sugars until thick and smoothe. Add rest of ingredients and beat well. Bake on 350 for 1 hour or until pie doesn't wiggle when you move it.

Oats and Honey Granola Pie - This one I got off of Oprah a few years ago!
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. corn syrup
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
4 bars (2 packages) Oats N' Honey granola bars, crushed
1/4 c. oats
1/2 c. walnuts
1/4 c. chocolate chips

Mix together in order listed, pour into pie shell and bake on 350 for 45 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream! Yummy!

Banana Cream Pie- This one is from my sis-in-law and it is my favorite!!
4 egg yolks, beat and set aside
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. milk (It has a rich flavor if you use half canned milk and half regular milk.)

Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Let boil for one minute. Add egg yolks and boil for one more minute. Stir consistenly throughout heating and boiling stages. Take off of heat and add 2 Tbsp. of softened butter and 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour into a pie crust that has been covered with slices of fresh banana. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool in the refrigerator for several hours. Garnish with whipped cream and banana slices.

Thanksgiving Sides

Here are some recipes for some yummy sides to include in your Thanksgiving feast.

Blueberry Jell-O Salad

1 large raspberry Jell-O
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 can blueberry pie filling
2 c. boiling water

Mix together well and put in 9x13 glass dripper. Let set up in refrigerator for several hours.

Topping:
1 pkg. cream cheese
2/3 c. water
1 small carton sour cream
Mix together until nice and creamy and spread over the top of the Jell-O.

Yam Casserole - Wolford Family Favorite!!

3 c. mashed yams
3/4 c. sugar or honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix together and put in a greased 9x13 baking dish.

Top with:
1/3 c. flour
1 c. pecans or walnuts
1/3 c. margarine, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
Mix together until crumbly and sprinkle over yam mixture. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Green Bean Casserole

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. soy sauce
dash of ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 c. French Fried Onions

Mix soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 2/3 c. onions in 1 1/2 qt. casserole.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until hot. Stir and sprinkle with remaining onions. Bake 5 more minutes.

And the Winners Are. . .

My friend Sarah Westbrook won the apron and a new friend, Autumn won the cookie scoop. Here is Sara's yummy recipe that she posted. I am very excited to try it. I think my hubby will love it. Thanks Sara and thanks to the rest of you who posted recipes as well. I am excited to try all of them!

Black Beans and Kielbasa Soup

3 cans black beans
4 cans chicken broth
5 large carrots chopped
1 kielbasa sliced(I use turkey kielbasa, because it's healthier.)
1 diced onion
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Put all ingredients into a crockpot and simmer on high for 3-4 hours. If you use dried beans then be sure to presoak them and extend the cooking time to 6 hours on high or 8-10 on low in your slow cooker. I usually serve this up with some good old rhodes rolls (if I'm feeling lazy), or some homemade bread (If I'm feeling ambitious).

Also, I discovered that Autumn has a blog with the same name as mine. Check THIS out to get some great menu ideas and some more new recipes. Thanks Ladies for participating in my drawing. I wish I could send something to all of you. Don't worry though, we'll do another one! If Autumn and Sarah could send me their addresses so I can send them their goods that would be great! miffywolford@gmail.com. In the next few days keep your eyes out, I will be posting some side dishes and pie recipes for Thanksgiving!

Not For Dinner But For Fun

You don't want to eat this, but I just got this recipe from my mom last week and it is the best playdough I have ever made. It stays really moist and has entertained my kids for hours. I get out the 100 piece cookie cutters and let them go to town!

Best Playdough
2 c. flour
4 tsp. cream of tartar
2 c. water
1 c. salt
2 Tbs. oil
Food coloring

Mix dry ingredients, add oil, water and food coloring. Bake in a 9x9, ungreased, glass dish for 10 minutes at 350. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes.

Drawing

In celebration of my new blog, I am giving away some fun kitchen essentials. The first drawing is for the items shown above. The magnetic calendar is my favorite thing for writing my weekly menu. I also use the backs for writing shopping lists. The new cookie scoop from Bed, Bath and Beyond is amazing. The dough comes out perfectly. Along with it, I am throwing in a bag of Hershey's Milk Chocolate Chips. To enter this drawing all you have to do is post a comment on my blog. Below is a darling Echo apron from Bed, Bath and Beyond and with that I will also throw in a bag of chocolate chips. To enter the drawing for the apron, you have to post one of your favorite recipes on your blog and post a comment on mine to let me know you did. I will also post the winner's recipe on my blog. Make sense? I will draw names on November 20. That gives you one week. Good luck!

Rolls 101!

Rolls are one of my favorite things to make and to eat! There is nothing better than a warm roll right out of the oven smothered in homemade jam! I have had so many people tell me they were too scared to make rolls. I am here to ease your fears. With this recipe, you will bedazzle all of your friends and family. Once you see how easy it is, you will be volunteering to make rolls for your Thanksgiving feast! Here goes. . .

1 Tbs. yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup warm water

Put these three ingredients in your mixing bowl and stir them until the sugar and yeast are dissolved. Let them sit for a few moments until they begin to foam. It should look something like this. See the bubbles?

1/2 cup (1 cube) melted butter (do not, I repeat do not use margarine)

1 cup milk

3 eggs

Crack eggs into a small bowl and mix together. In another small bowl, melt your butter in the microwave. Once it is melted, pour the milk into the bowl with the butter and mix them together. Then, pour the milk and butter mixture into the eggs and mix all three together. Pour this mixture into the foaming yeast and mix. Now it should look something like this.

3/4 tsp. salt 5 1/2 cups flour

Add the salt and the flour and mix all of the ingredients together until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Now it should look something like this.
The dough will be a little sticky. Take it out of the bowl and knead it for a few minutes until it forms a smooth ball. For those of you who don't really know how to knead, I will try to explain it as well as I can. Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and shape it into a vertical blob as seen below. Form your hand into a fist and apply pressure to the bottom of the vertical blob.
Place your other hand at the top of the vertical blob and bring it towards you as if you are folding it. Remove your hand just before the dough folds down on top of it. Bring the dough forward until you have a horizontal blob. Rotate the dough so that it is vertical again and begin the process over. It becomes quick and natural after a few tries and then you won't even have to think about it. I hope those instructions make sense. I have never tried to explain the process of kneading to anyone! Kneading the dough helps to get some air moving into it and enables the yeast to start doing it's job. Once the dough is nice and smooth, shape it into a ball and place it into a bowl that you have sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover the bowl with a lid or some plastic wrap and set it on your counter. Allow the dough to sit for about three hours, or until it is double in size. Once the dough is double in size, dump it out onto your counter and roll it into a circle with a rolling pin. The dough should be about 1/4 inch in thickness. You don't want it to be too thick or your rolls will be huge! As you can see, it doesn't have to be a perfect circle!
Melt about 1/2 a cube of butter in the microwave and pour it onto your circle. Spread it over the whole circle with a pastry brush, or an unused paint brush, or a spoon, or whatever you have! Cut the circle like you would a pizza with a pizza cutter.I was able to cut 16 triangles out of my cirlce.Beginning at the wide end, roll each triangle up to form a crescent roll.
Place the rolls on a greased cookie sheet with the seemed side down. The ends can be touching a little bit, but leave about 1/2 inch between your rows. Let rise again until the rolls are double in size, about 2-3 hours. If you are in a hurry, you can always turn your oven on and put the rolls on top of the warm oven to help them rise faster.
Place in a 375 degree preheated oven and bake for 10-13 minutes until golden brown. Take out of the oven and brush the tops with some butter so they are nice and shiny and -Ta-Da, you have beautifully delicious rolls.
See how easy that was! The one negative thing about rolls is that you have to have time to let them rise twice. I make them almost every Sunday and let the dough rise while I am at church and then I just have to roll them out and let them rise once more before dinner. It is definitely worth the wait. If anyone tries making these for the first time, I want to hear about it! Good Luck!

Coming Soon . . .

In preparation for Thanksgiving, I will be posting a roll making tutorial. Look for it in the next day or two! Also, get ready to enter my drawing for some fun kitchen essentials! It will begin on Wednesday!

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf

This is a Wolford family recipe that I really like. It is easy and really yummy. Combine it with baked potatoes and a green salad for a delicious meal.

1 lb. ground beef
2-3 pieces of bread, torn
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 egg
1-2 tsp. minced onion
8 oz. tomato sauce
Mix together and form into a loaf. Place in a 9x13 and bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

Sauce:
1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbs. brown sugar
2 Tbs. vinegar
2 tsp. mustard
8 oz. tomato sauce
Mix together in a bowl and pour over cooked meatloaf. Bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

These are great for little kids and adults!

2 cups bit size shredded what cereal, crushed to 1 cup
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
2 tsp. mustard
1 Tbs. honey
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4 x 2-inch strips (or chicken tenderloins)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine dry ingredients, set aside. Combine mayo, honey and mustard. Coat chicken in wet mixture and then in dry ingredients. Place on baking pan and bake for 10 minutes, flip chicken, and bake another 10 minutes or until not pink in center.

Tastes great dipped in BBQ sauce!

Potato Cheese Soup

This is one that I have recently discovered. It is similar to others that I have tried but the bacon gives it just the right touch. It is delicious and would go well with the focaccia bread (below).

6 bacon strips, diced
3 cups cubed peeled potatoes (I used red potatoes and didn't peel them)
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 small carrot, grated
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. each celery seed, salt and pepper
3 Tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp; drain. Add potatoes, broth, carrot, onion, parsley, celery seed, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Combine flour and milk until smooth; add to soup. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add cheese; stir until cheese is melted and the soup is heated through. Garnish with green onions if desired. Makes 2 quarts.

Rosemary Focaccia

Believe it or not, I got this recipe from a bag of flour! It is a great complement to stews and soups and it is very easy to make.

3 cups flour
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 package instant active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water
3 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbsp. Dried Rosemary Leaves

Mix flour, salt, sugar, yeast, water, and 2 Tbsp. of oil. Mix dough until pliable. Knead dough on floured surface until smooth. Place dough in oiled bowl, cover, let rise until doubled, 45 minutes. Coat baking sheet with oil and gently press dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Brush remaining oil over the top of the dough. Make dimples on the dough. Sprinkle with rosemary and cheese. Let rise until doubled, 20 minutes. Bake for 25 minutes at 375.

Banana Bread- Karen Lee

This one is for you Marn! This is the best banana bread recipe I have ever found. It is really moist on the inside and has a yummy sweet crust on top. I also tried this with gluten free flour and it turned out great.

3 large ripe bananas
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soft margarine
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. nuts (optional)
1/4 c. brown sugar cinnamon

Beat together first 4 ingredients. Add dry ingredients and vanilla and beat slowly until mixed. Add chopped nuts (optional). Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Sprinkle batter with 1/4 cup brown sugar and a little cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from the center of the loaf.

Ham and Cheese Omelet Roll

This is a new family favorite. I have made it for breakfast and dinner. I also made it for family members who have an allergy to gluten. I just substituted the flour with gluten free flour. It was still delicious. Don't be intimidated. It is super easy.

4 ounces cream cheese
3/4 c. milk
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 tsp. salt
12 eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (we use Golden's Spicy Mustard)
2 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups finely chopped fully cooked ham
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

Line the bottom and sides of a greased cookie sheet with parchment paper (I used wax paper); grease the paper and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and milk until smooth. Add flour and salt; mix until combined. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until blended. Add cream cheese mixture; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until eggs are puffed and set. Remove from the oven. Immediately spread with mustard and sprinkle with one cup of cheese. Sprinkle with ham, onions and 1 cup cheese.

Roll up from a short side, peeling parchment paper away while rolling. Sprinkle top of roll with the remaining cheese; bake 3-4 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/

Creamy Fruit Salad

I just tried this one for the first time. If you like cream cheese and fruit, you will love this one. It was tasty and would make a great addition to any Thanksgiving feast!

1 can (11 ounces) mandarine oranges, drained
1 can (8 1/4 ounces) sliced peaches, drained
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained
1 cup miniature marshmallows
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup sugar

In a bowl, combine oranges, peaches, pineapple and marshmallows. In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, yogurt and sugar until smooth; pour over fruit and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.