Here is a great breakfast recipe from my mom and grandmother - we made it all the time when I was growing up, and it's just such a good syrup! Plus, it's easy to have year-round because you can buy blueberries cheap when they are in season and then freeze them in individually portioned ziploc bags that you can pull out and use at any time!
1 c. sugar
2 tblsp corn starch
1 c. water
2 c. blueberries (buy fresh, freeze, and then put into the pot still frozen when you want to use them)
1 tblsp butter/margarine
Whisk at medium high heat on the stove until the whole mixture begins to boil. Bring down to a simmer and stir for 20 minutes or until desired thickness. Squish blueberries against the side of the pot while cooking. Serve warm. Can be stored in the fridge up to 1 week - when reheating in the microwave add a bit of water and stir. My mom also wanted everyone to know that the same recipe can be used with peaches or strawberries instead!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Crock-Pot Roast
So tonight was our 8-month wedding anniversary and I decided to make a nice big meal for us. Last Christmas when we had come down to Pensacola to go house-hunting before our PCS, we stayed with some friends of ours (who are now our neighbors), and we experienced some of the best food of our lives courtesy of my friend's amazing talents in the kitchen!! My favorite recipe while we stayed with them was this. I have made it for my parents in the past (it's the only thing I've made that my mother has truly complimented me on) and decided that it would be great for us too. So, after going to verify the recipe with her this morning, here is our dinner:
Rump Roast (usually 1-1.5 lb of meat per person... our roast tonight was 3 lb and we still have a little less than half for leftovers)
1 box Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion (the box will have two pouches in it...located on the spice aisle)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3/4 c. water
1 jar of beef bullion granules (this will dissolve A LOT faster than cubes)
red potatoes
baby carrots
green beans
Ok, so this is a meal you have to know you are making ahead of time, because the roast is best if slow cooked for 8-10 hours. So the morning you want your roast, put it in the crock pot with both packets from the Lipton onion box, both cans of cream of mushroom soup, and the water. Believe me, the onion packets have so much flavor in them, you really don't need to add anything else. Mix up everything so it creates almost like a gravy around your roast. Then turn it on low and leave it sit.
Later that evening about an hour before you want dinner, boil a large pot of water, and add 1/2-3/4 of your jar of bullion (depending on how strong you want the flavor to be). Add in your baby carrots and snapped green beans, along with your diced potatoes (I usually cut them into about 1-in cubes). Allow them to boil for 20 minutes, then turn down to medium and put the lid on the pot. Allow them to cook another 25 minutes, and then test the potatoes to make sure they are done. If they are soft, you are ready to eat!
I LOVE this recipe - it is easy to do if you have plans during the day and ends up having so much flavor without the need to guess with other spices. Simple, and very very good!
Rump Roast (usually 1-1.5 lb of meat per person... our roast tonight was 3 lb and we still have a little less than half for leftovers)
1 box Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion (the box will have two pouches in it...located on the spice aisle)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3/4 c. water
1 jar of beef bullion granules (this will dissolve A LOT faster than cubes)
red potatoes
baby carrots
green beans
Ok, so this is a meal you have to know you are making ahead of time, because the roast is best if slow cooked for 8-10 hours. So the morning you want your roast, put it in the crock pot with both packets from the Lipton onion box, both cans of cream of mushroom soup, and the water. Believe me, the onion packets have so much flavor in them, you really don't need to add anything else. Mix up everything so it creates almost like a gravy around your roast. Then turn it on low and leave it sit.
Later that evening about an hour before you want dinner, boil a large pot of water, and add 1/2-3/4 of your jar of bullion (depending on how strong you want the flavor to be). Add in your baby carrots and snapped green beans, along with your diced potatoes (I usually cut them into about 1-in cubes). Allow them to boil for 20 minutes, then turn down to medium and put the lid on the pot. Allow them to cook another 25 minutes, and then test the potatoes to make sure they are done. If they are soft, you are ready to eat!
I LOVE this recipe - it is easy to do if you have plans during the day and ends up having so much flavor without the need to guess with other spices. Simple, and very very good!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Strawberry-Blueberry Smoothie
Ok, so on a healthy note (for once), here was my dinner tonight!
1 cup strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup local honey (which will also help reduce allergies!)
about 6 pieces of ice
1/2 cup vanilla soymilk
blend together until liquified and there you have it!
1 cup strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup local honey (which will also help reduce allergies!)
about 6 pieces of ice
1/2 cup vanilla soymilk
blend together until liquified and there you have it!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
My Great-Grandmother's Fresh Peach Pie
This is a very special recipe to my heart - I was lucky enough to know all 4 of my great-grandparents on my grandmother's side until I was pretty old, so I remember baking with my great-grandmother, and this is one of my favorite recipes of hers that I have (and make quite often).
IN A SMALL BOWL, MIX:
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons tapioca (it comes in a box usually on the baking aisle and looks like little pellets - NOT tapioca pudding lol)
small shake of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
IN A LARGE BOWL, MIX:
6-8 cups fresh peaches peeled, seed removed and sliced
1 cup blueberries (if desired)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter, cut into bits
COMBINE the mix in the smaller bowl into the larger bowl, mix together with a wooden spoon or your hands and then let stand while you make the pie dough.
TO MAKE THE DOUGH:
2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup crisco (add to the flour and salt mixture and then use a fork or your hands to mash and mix together)
after that, add 4-6 tablespoons of ice water (sometimes it might take more than this to make the dough the right consistency, but start out conservatively)
Now, preheat oven to 400. Mix a few grains of sugar and a bit of flour together and sprinkle over the bottom of the pie dish (I like using glass dishes the best). Separate your dough into two equally sized balls (this is where you may need a bit more water or a bit more flour, depending - whatever gives you a ball that will remain formed and not crumble). Roll out one ball and drape it over the bottom of the pie dish. Put the peach mixture into the pie plate on top of the dough and spread evenly. Roll out the second ball of dough and cover the peach mixture. Pinch around the edges to seal up the pie by pinching together the top and bottom layer of dough. Put a few slits in the top of the crust with a knife. Now gently whisk an egg in a small dish and brush over the top of the pie (probably won't use the whole egg, just enough to brush the top), then sprinkle sugar and nutmeg over the top. The egg will give your pie a nice brown color and a shine.
Bake 40-50 minutes and then enjoy :) I hope you love this as much as I do!!
IN A SMALL BOWL, MIX:
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons tapioca (it comes in a box usually on the baking aisle and looks like little pellets - NOT tapioca pudding lol)
small shake of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
IN A LARGE BOWL, MIX:
6-8 cups fresh peaches peeled, seed removed and sliced
1 cup blueberries (if desired)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter, cut into bits
COMBINE the mix in the smaller bowl into the larger bowl, mix together with a wooden spoon or your hands and then let stand while you make the pie dough.
TO MAKE THE DOUGH:
2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup crisco (add to the flour and salt mixture and then use a fork or your hands to mash and mix together)
after that, add 4-6 tablespoons of ice water (sometimes it might take more than this to make the dough the right consistency, but start out conservatively)
Now, preheat oven to 400. Mix a few grains of sugar and a bit of flour together and sprinkle over the bottom of the pie dish (I like using glass dishes the best). Separate your dough into two equally sized balls (this is where you may need a bit more water or a bit more flour, depending - whatever gives you a ball that will remain formed and not crumble). Roll out one ball and drape it over the bottom of the pie dish. Put the peach mixture into the pie plate on top of the dough and spread evenly. Roll out the second ball of dough and cover the peach mixture. Pinch around the edges to seal up the pie by pinching together the top and bottom layer of dough. Put a few slits in the top of the crust with a knife. Now gently whisk an egg in a small dish and brush over the top of the pie (probably won't use the whole egg, just enough to brush the top), then sprinkle sugar and nutmeg over the top. The egg will give your pie a nice brown color and a shine.
Bake 40-50 minutes and then enjoy :) I hope you love this as much as I do!!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Check out my other blog too!
oh, and for those of you who don't know, I also have a blog at http://acreedandapsalm.blogspot.com! That one is about our lives as a military family :) Go check it out!!
CLICK HERE TO VISIT MY OTHER BLOG!!
CLICK HERE TO VISIT MY OTHER BLOG!!
Quesadillas
Super quick recipe for a night when you don't have a lot of time for dinner! You can change them up and add whatever you like (one recipe I have seen adds black beans, I'm just not a fan).
1 package of tortilla rounds (7 or 8-inch ones work perfectly)
1 pack of either ground beef or ground turkey
chopped peppers (I use a red and a green)
half of a chopped onion
1 small can of tomato paste
5 tbs pico de gallo (or chopped tomatoes with a bit of cilantro works too!)
mini pepperonis (not necessary, but a nice touch of spice)
salt and pepper
cheddar cheese (shredded)
First, brown your meat in a skillet, then throw in the peppers, onion, pico, and mini pepperonis. Stir those around for about a minute, then add in your can of tomato paste, making sure that it gets distributed evenly throughout the meat. Once it is done, add your salt and pepper to taste. Now lay out your tortillas, and evenly divide the meat among them (only putting the mixture on one half of the tortilla - you will fold them over later). When I made this tonight, I got 6 tortillas out of the amount of mixture I had made. Then add some cheese over top of your meat, and fold each tortilla in half. When I was to that point I just washed my skillet and used it again (less clean-up later). Spray cooking oil (or my personal fave, PAM) into the skillet and put two folded tortillas at a time in there. Use your spatula to flatten them, and after about a minute over medium heat, flip them one time. Once both sides are browned, remove them from the skillet and place onto a plate. Continue until all your tortillas are cooked!! Then, cut each tortilla in half to have your yummy quesadilla wedges :)
1 package of tortilla rounds (7 or 8-inch ones work perfectly)
1 pack of either ground beef or ground turkey
chopped peppers (I use a red and a green)
half of a chopped onion
1 small can of tomato paste
5 tbs pico de gallo (or chopped tomatoes with a bit of cilantro works too!)
mini pepperonis (not necessary, but a nice touch of spice)
salt and pepper
cheddar cheese (shredded)
First, brown your meat in a skillet, then throw in the peppers, onion, pico, and mini pepperonis. Stir those around for about a minute, then add in your can of tomato paste, making sure that it gets distributed evenly throughout the meat. Once it is done, add your salt and pepper to taste. Now lay out your tortillas, and evenly divide the meat among them (only putting the mixture on one half of the tortilla - you will fold them over later). When I made this tonight, I got 6 tortillas out of the amount of mixture I had made. Then add some cheese over top of your meat, and fold each tortilla in half. When I was to that point I just washed my skillet and used it again (less clean-up later). Spray cooking oil (or my personal fave, PAM) into the skillet and put two folded tortillas at a time in there. Use your spatula to flatten them, and after about a minute over medium heat, flip them one time. Once both sides are browned, remove them from the skillet and place onto a plate. Continue until all your tortillas are cooked!! Then, cut each tortilla in half to have your yummy quesadilla wedges :)
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Citrus Fruit Dip
Here is a sweet citrus dip that my mom always makes for fruit salad; it's pretty amazing, and easy! Just trust me :)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 egg yolks (not the whole egg - you must separate the yolks!!)
combine all of this in a small saucepan and stir it up so it all dissolves, then turn on the burner to high heat. It is very important that you stir the whole time (otherwise the sugar will burn). The minute you notice the mixture boil and start to thicken, remove it from heat and continue to stir until it congeals. Now pour it out into a bowl and allow to cool a few minutes. And there you have a good, refreshing dip for your fruit salad!! It tastes amazing with strawberries, grapes, and especially pineapple! And if it cools too much and gets too thick, just put it in the microwave for 15 seconds and stir it up! This is a perfect appetizer idea for summer! We made it for Easter and it was quite a hit :)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 egg yolks (not the whole egg - you must separate the yolks!!)
combine all of this in a small saucepan and stir it up so it all dissolves, then turn on the burner to high heat. It is very important that you stir the whole time (otherwise the sugar will burn). The minute you notice the mixture boil and start to thicken, remove it from heat and continue to stir until it congeals. Now pour it out into a bowl and allow to cool a few minutes. And there you have a good, refreshing dip for your fruit salad!! It tastes amazing with strawberries, grapes, and especially pineapple! And if it cools too much and gets too thick, just put it in the microwave for 15 seconds and stir it up! This is a perfect appetizer idea for summer! We made it for Easter and it was quite a hit :)
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