Category: Cooking – Recipes

Not sure what to think

It seems that I can manage small pieces fairly well. Of course, still not good enough for me. I just want things to go back the way there were about a year ago.

So, this is the second able runner that I made from a scrap pack from my local quilt shop. I bought it for $12.99 and I think I have 2 more table runners from the same pack. I think it was actually a manufacturers sample. Some of them had pinked edges and they were all a pretty standard odd size. Regardless, I like it. It is a little busy looking, but tolerable, I think.

I do like this pattern it is called Jumping Jack. Very simple and easy. I will have to wait to quilt this until I open my black batting. Hopefully soon. I have a quilt I need to get ready for the long arm that requires black batting. Currently, I find using my long arm, very stressful. Since I can’t quite do things the way I want to I become frustrated and don’t want to do it at all. I know, wrong attitude.

I also made this one. I have hung on to a yard of this blue fabric for forever. For some reason I found it beautiful and did not want to use it. Finally did. It was super easy to do and great for using only two colors.

Gluten Sensitivity?

I am learning things every day. At some point I became sensitive to gluten (or so I thought). If I ate it, My heart rate increased to about 130+ for an hour or longer. This made me totally feel like crap. I was not overly thrilled with gluten free bread. It had a weird feel (gritty or something) in my mouth. So, I was unhappy. I constantly wondered why food would be taken from a fat girl. First you take my ability to do a whole lot of anything and then take food away form a fat girl? Come on. If things were not crappy enough. At first we thought it was sugar that was causing the problem. It would be much easier for me to avoid sugar. But no, it was everything I loved.

What I found out after some research was that it may not be gluten, but modern day wheat. So, I researched and found that many people with gluten sensitivity can eat heritage wheat. Heritage wheat? Wheat that was grown a long time ago. Not hybrid to yield more or sprayed with chemicals. I found a company that grows and mills this type of wheat. Sunrise Flour Mill makes just this wheat. I bought a bag. Super expensive $20 plus shipping for 5lbs. I made a loaf of bread and just like magic, I could eat it without the increased heart rate. It was like magic to me. I sat at the table eating bread, dipping it in olive oil in true fat girl style (I can laugh at myself). I have since ordered more and it gets less expensive if you buy bigger bags. his past Friday, we made pizza crust and our own homemade pizzas. It was delicious.

My mother was from Germany. These are one of our favorite things. We called them pretzel blobs, mostly because I think it annoyed my mother. They were (past tense) delicious.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

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My One monthly goal…and some other stuff (Fluffer Nutter Butter)

So, For my One monthly goal I am going to finally finish this Table Topper.  Not sure I would call it a UFO, it is less than a year old.  I made this with the intent of learning/practicing some type of scalloped border.  I bought one of those fancy border rulers a while ago, so I will finally have a chance to give it a try.  My plan is to have this totally completed.

So, my friend Lynn was telling me how she bought some rulers for Ruler work and it was really easy.  So, since Lynn always has great ideas, I decided that I needed to give it a try.  On the way home from the swim meet on Saturday I stopped by a quilt shop and purchased the Ruler work foot.  A ridiculous $125.00.  Ugh. Then I purchased a starter set of Westerlee Rulers.  I hope to use these rulers to finish the quilting on the table topper before I give it a fancy scalloped border.  I am very excited about my rulers and I am hoping It helps me become a more confident quilter.

The Fluffer Nutter Butter quilt for the mystery quilt…..ugh.  Not much progress. Dang itwatermark_2018-03-05-13-26-48.jpg.  I think I was supposed to post on Feb 28th, but I was busy hitting 20180228_201013_resizeda deer.  I have such luck.

Here is a list of participants in this quilt along:

 

 

 

 

Saturday was the final swim meet.  Yeah!.  I can’t tell you how exciting that is.  Swim practice was 4 days a week and then weekend meets, often at least an hour away.  The school it was held at, had an awesome Natatorium.  Two Pools.  However, the most intriguing part was that the school was decorated with quilt designs.  Odd but refreshing.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

 

The Cooking Widow brings you Twice baked Potatoes….Yum.

I get bored making the same old stuff sometimes, so I decided to try my hand at twice baked potatoes. I was presently surprised to find out they were way better than the store bought and were super easy to make. Here is what you need:

3 Potatoes – I prefer the larger baking potatoes, but you can see form my photo, that is not what I used (just had plain old odd sized potatoes)

1 package Idahoan Baby Reds mashed potatoes (or whatever flavor you prefer) – I know sometimes people want it be all homemade potatoes, but I have tried it both ways and this is the best. Try it.

¼ c Butter (1/2 stick)

Garlic to taste – I usually use the chopped (in a jar because I always have it). I use about 1 Tablespoon.

1C. Cheddar cheese (or whatever you like)

Sprinkle of Paprika

Poke your potatoes with something sharp and microwave for about 8-9 minutes. You want them done but not smushy.

Place in the fridge until they are cool enough to handle.

Make your Potatoes as directed, but shorten the amount of water needed by ¼ cup and add the garlic to the water (I sometimes use milk instead of water for richer potatoes).

Once they are complete, stir in about ¾ c cheddar cheese and set aside.

Take your potatoes and slice them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the inside and put it in with the prepared mashed potatoes. I use a grapefruit spoon to scoop them out, since it is a spoon and serrated. Makes it very easy if you have one.

Arrange the potato shells in a baking dish.

Put the butter in the potatoes and get out your mixer. Once the potatoes are all mashed to a consistency you like, gently scoop the mixture back into the potato shells.

Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese and then paprika.

When you are ready to bake these, place in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes. I sometimes make them a day before or the morning of and leave them in the fridge until I am ready.

Happy Cooking.
Happy Eating.

The Baking Widow brings you the “No Crack” Cheesecake

I love to make cheesecake but hate when it cracks. I have perfected making the no crack cheesecake. I made one today. I don’t need to cover up the crack with cherries or nuts and it tastes super yummy. I will tell you how to make a no crack cheesecake and share my recipe with you.

Cheesecake usually cracks because it is overbaked. So , to keep it from overbaking, the first ten minutes of baking are at 500 degree F and then we bake at 200 degreed F until the internal temp of the cheesecake reaches 150 degree F. This takes about 1.5 hours.. Once the cheesecake is removed from the oven, we let it cool for about ten minutes and then run a knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen. That way if it sinks any it won’t be held up by the sides and crack.

Graham Cracker Crust
1 Cup graham cracker crumbs
2 T Sugar
6 T. melted butter (save one for the inside of the pan)
Mix together graham cracker crumbs, sugar and about 5 T of melted butter. Press in spring form pan (I used a 9” pan). Bake at 325-degree F for about 13 minutes until the edges brown a little. Place on rack to cool.

Filling
2 ½ lbs cream chees (5 8oz. packages)
1 ½ C sugar
1/3 c Sour Cream
1T Vanilla Extract
2 Large Egg Yolks
6 Large Whole Eggs
Increase oven to 500 degrees F. Beat cream cheese on low for about 1 minute, med speed, scrape down bowl. Slowly mix in sugar and incorporated for about 1 minute. Scrape down bowl. Add salt, sour cream and Vanilla until incorporated, about 1 minutes. Add two eggs yolk, mix for one minute on med speed. Then add two eggs at a time mixing on medium speed for about one minute, scraping in between each addition.

Brush side of spring form pan with remaining butter. Bake for 10 minutes at 500degree F, then reduce temp to 200 degree F until internal temp reaches 150 degree F. This will take about 1.5 hours. Do not open the oven until you check the temperature for the first time.

When done, cool on rack for about ten minutes. Take a knife around the inside edge of the pan and then continue to cool until it can be placed in the refrigerator. Release from spring form when totally cool. Run the knife around the edge again before releasing from pan.

Top with whatever you like or nothing at all.

Happy Baking
Happy Eating.

Best steak rub/Burger seasoning

I spend a lot of my time watching cooking shows. There are tons of seasoning mixes that you can buy at the store, but most are not cheap. I have found that I can make a steak/burger seasoning at home that adds awesome flavor, but doesn’t take away the flavor of the meet.

As with all my recipe’s, I will give approximations of what I use, but it can be adjusted for whatever your preference is. There is one odd ingredient, but I don’t suggest leaving out.

¼ cup powdered beef bullion (Wylers and Knorr makes this. Brand doesn’t really matter. It is really the salt component)
1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
1 Tablespoon Garlic Power
½ teaspoon paprika
1 Tablespoon of finely ground coffee (I know, sounds weird)
¼ teaspoon of cayenne
1 Tablespoon black pepper

Mix together and put in shaker. I put on both sides of meat while I am cooking. Try it. Makes even burgers taste better.

Happy Cooking.

The Frugal Widow Tip #2 Aldi’s Stores…

There are quite a few Aldi’s store around these days. If you haven’t visited one, you should. I first became familiar with Aldi’s in Germany. It was the grocery store I went to with my mother when we were in Germany. It is not quite the same as in the US, but they have some really awesome savings and great German products if you’re into that. I am, but I also love saving money.

Here in the US, Aldo’s is known as a discount store. But if you are thinking that it is cheap, it’s just not true. It may be less expensive, but nearly all of it is really good. Besides, milk comes from cows. Eggs come from chickens. Not much that can change with that. Why pay more?

Last week, I bought eggs for $.89 and a gallon of milk for $1.79. It costs way more in the regular Kroger, Super Walmart etc…

Besides regular staples you will find a wide array of other items. It is not all Aldi’s brand, but some is. If you like Sauerkraut, theirs is really good. Reminds me of what Mom used to make. Also, at the holidays, they have all kinds of German candy and cookies (and some regular USA varieties also).

Yesterday we had some German Frankfurters from Aldi’s. Sooo Good. So if you are looking to save money or year round Oktoberfest items, you should check out Aldi’s. It is worth the trip. Remember to bring your own bags.

https://www.aldi.us/en/?pk_campaign=brandedsem

Happy Shopping.

The Secret to the Best Sausage Gravy……

So, Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I like everything about it. One of my favorites is sausage gravy. I can’t eat sausage gravy in the restaurant because it all tasted awful to me now that I figured out how to make it. Mine is way better (Sorry Bob Evans) I am not a measurer, because I like to make the amount that I need. But I will give you the best approximations. Sausage gravy is not exact. Some like more pepper, some like it thicker or thinner. It just depends what you like.

1 lb. breakfast sausage (if it is just my daughter and I, I use ½ lb.)
3 + cups of milk. Depends if you like thinner or thicker and how far you want to stretch your sausage
Pepper to taste – I use a lot of fresh cracked pepper
3 heaping Tablespoons of cornstarch
Beef Bullion to taste (at least one teaspoon to start with. It also depends on brand, some is stronger than others)

1.) Brown your sausage until there is no pink.
2.) Add milk – medium to high heat. Remember to stir, milk can scorch
3.) Add Pepper
4.) Add Beef bouillon. Use Beef. Using pork or ham flavor, tastes weird. I know it sounds weird to add beef flavor, but try it.
5.) As it heats, taste and add additional pepper and bullion to taste.
6.) Mix corn starch and about ¼ C milk in small bowl or cup. Stir til incorporated
7.) Once mixture begins to boil, add corn starch mixture and continue stirring. It should thicken quickly. You can add milk to thin or more cornstarch/milk mixture to thicken if need be. Up to you.

Dump over biscuits or hash browns… Enjoy

Happy Cooking.

The Frugal, Tasty and Quick Widow gives you Super Fast Sloppy Joe

So, growing up as a kid, my Mom made Sloppy Joe. I did not like it. I don’t know why. I am pretty sure she made it from scratch, no Manwich. It has been so long since I have had her Sloppy Joes. I can’t remember what I didn’t like about it. Ahhhh,,If only she could make it for me again, I would most certainly love it because she made it.

Having a career, being a kid Mom, A dog Mom and a significant other to my manfriend (too old for a “Boy” friend), I sometimes don’t have the time or desire to cook. I love to cook, just don’t always have enough time.
So, tonight I broke down and made Sloppy Joe. I didn’t do everything from scratch like Mom did, but I did manage to cook an entire meal in 15 minutes for under $10.00. So, I feel good about that.

I browned some ground beef (s little over a pound) and put a Lipton Rice side on to cook. Once the Ground beef was done, I drained the fat and put the ground meat in back in the pan. Then, I dumped in McCormick’s Sweet and Smokey Sloppy Joe Sauce ( http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Main-Dishes/Sweet-and-Smoky-Sloppy-Joes) and heated it a couple of minutes. Done, unless you are like me and added in a teaspoon of crushed pepper. We like a little spice. You could taste the smokiness, but it wasn’t overly sweet. Good food in a hurry. Inexpensive enough to give it a try. Happy Cooking.

Super Yummy-Pierogi Casserole Mmmmm

If you love Pierogi’s you have to try this. Pierogi’s are yummy, but so time consuming to make. Pierogi casserole is way easier to make and tastes just as yummy. We had this for dinner tonight along with steaks. It was awesome. So, when I cook, measuring is not something I always do.

So, in order to make Pierogi casserole, you will need the following ingredients:
9 lasagna noodles, cooked
4 cups of mashed potatoes – I have to admit, I use instant. I have made it with “Real” ones, but, the instant ones (I use Instant Idaho reds) are already pre seasoned and taste way better in this casserole.
3 medium onions, chopped coarsely
1 stick of butter
8 ozs, Shredded cheddar, or more depending on what you like.
1.) Cook Onions with stick of butter
2.) Make mashed potatoes following package directions. I added some chopped garlic to the water for a little added flavor.
3.) Once onions are cooked and potatoes are ready, Mix them together.
4.) Spray your pan with Cooking spray, mostly so tit is easier to clean. Spread s small amount of mashed potatoes on the bottom of you pan (9×13 works perfectly, but an eight in square works great but you will need to trim your lasagna noodle).
5.) Then begin layering noodles, potatoes and cheese. Make sure to finish up with cheese on top.
6.) Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until bubbly. Enjoy.
Be creative, add bacon or whatever you like. There are no rules when cooking in my kitchen.