2017, July 16
Tasting: Tuesday was my day to host the VECC (Very Exclusive Cooking Club) lunch. I decided to do a sort of tea room lunch with soup, salad and sandwiches.
July 11, 2017 at Patsy’s
THE TABLE
THE MENU
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Chicken Salad
Macaroni Salad
Fresh Fruit Salad
Vegetable Salad
Cardinal Cole Slaw
Deviled Eggs
Ham Finger Sandwiches
Cucumber Finger Sandwiches
Tomato Finger Sandwiches
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Apple Bread
Lemon Bread
Cherry-Walnut Cookies
Iced Tea Hot Tea
THE FOOD
PARTY FAVORS
Tins of some of each of the dessert items.
THE RECIPES
CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP
8 oz white button mushrooms
8 oz baby Portobello mushrooms
6 Tbs butter (or more)
1/3 cup flour
1 qt chicken broth
1/4 tsp Herbs de Provence
1 cup whipping cream
Chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Clean the mushrooms and take few middle slices out of the small ones for garnish. Chop the rest.
Melt the butter and sauté the garnish slices. Remove to a paper towel to drain and add the chopped mushrooms. Sauté until golden, adding more butter if necessary.
Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms, cook and stir a few minutes to cook the flour.
Add the chicken broth and herbs. Simmer ten minutes.
Whirl the mixture in a blender in batches. It will be hot and the pressure will cause the lid to fly off unless you hold it on with a folded kitchen towel. On low, start at “pulse” and work your way up to the highest speed and then switch over to high. Do each batch the same way. Do not fill the blender more than halfway each time.
Return to skillet or pan. Add whipping cream and reheat, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper, if desired. The salt will depend on the chicken broth you use. Garnish.
BASIC CHICKEN SALAD
2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken - about two half breasts
(To save time, buy a cooked rotisserie chicken at the market)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped fruit
1/3 cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix together and chill. Butter bread before adding chicken salad. Garnish with parsley sprig.
Use any kind of fruit. Try using pineapple (fresh or canned); apples; dried raisins, cranberries or cherries; or grapes. Be sure to cut your fruit into small pieces.
For crunch add finely chopped nuts – I like pecans, walnuts or slivered almonds. Add just before serving or they’ll get soggy.
Bump it up by adding two tablespoons of minced onion.
Spice it up by adding 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder, dried dill weed, or dried tarragon. Use fresh herbs if you have them, but double the amount. Always start with a small amount; you can always add more to taste.
For this lunch, I used chicken, celery, green onions, red grapes, and pecans.
MACARONI SALAD
Janice Lesperance
Macaroni, shells or elbows, cooked
Celery
Green onions
Green olives, stuffed
Ripe olives
Green pepper
Hardboiled eggs
Shredded cheese
Mayonnaise
Dijon mustard
Salad Supreme
Dill seed
For this lunch I omitted the stuffed olives and replaced the dill seed with chopped dill pickles.
FRESH FRUIT SALAD
Jan’s sister’s mother-in-law from The Philippines
Juice of one lemon
1/3 cup sugar
2 apples, cored and finely chopped
Fruit chunks of choice
In a large mixing bowl, squeeze lemon juice and remove seeds.
Stir in sugar and add chopped apples.
Add your choice of fruits and mix well so that lemon apples are distributed throughout.
Note: If adding fragile fruits such as strawberries or watermelon, stir everything first and then gently stir in.
Canned pineapple works well. If adding bananas, stir in just before serving.
Photo is Pink Lady apples, cantaloupe, fresh oranges, canned pineapple, and strawberries.
For this lunch, I used apples, mango, pineapple, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, and blueberries.
VEGETABLE SALAD
Salad:
1 15 oz can Le Seur peas, drained
1 15 oz can white shoe peg corn, drained
1 15 oz can French cut green beans, drained
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped green onions
Small container pimientos, optional
Dressing:
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
While the green beans are still in the can, run a knife through to cut the pieces into 1/2’s or 1/3’s.
Mix all salad ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
Mix all dressing ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir to make sure sugar is completely dissolved, then cool.
When cool, add to salad and chill.
CARDINAL COLE SLAW
Springfield Symphony Cookbook, Ninth Movement
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup chopped unpeeled apple
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
Bottled Cole slaw dressing
Moisten cabbage, apple, and raisins with dressing. Chill.
Add peanuts just before serving.
Note: Original recipe calls for Miracle Whip instead of dressing.
The coffee cake, apple bread, and lemon bread recipes were on last week's post. You can find them on the drop-down menu above.
CHERRY-WALNUT COOKIES
Planters Nuts
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries
Heat oven to 400°.
Cream together butter and brown sugar.
Add egg and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
Blend in dry ingredients.
Form into a roll, 2-1/2” wide. Wrap in waxed paper and freeze until firm.
Cut into thin slices (1/8”) onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until browned.
Note: Dough may be kept frozen for two weeks.
Things that Grow: My dinner consisted of things from the garden; buttered zucchini with parmesan and tomatoes and cucumber for my salad.
The tomatoes actually came from the patio - a plant appropriately called a patio tomato. The tomatoes are smaller than the ones on garden tomato plants. Here they are in comparison to supermarket tomatoes on the vine. Just as tasty as the garden variety, however.
And the zucchini keeps hiding under the large leaves and I end up with these big guys. I have four of them in the refrigerator right now. Becky said that I can shred it and freeze it for breads and cakes. I certainly won't be doing any baking until the a/c is fixed.
And I also had turnips from the garden to make Creamed Turnips. If you haven't tried them, you should.
CREAMED TURNIPS
3 cups peeled and cubed turnips
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
Put the turnips in a saucepan with enough water to cover them by 1”.
Simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
Drain and transfer to a bowl.
Melt butter in the same saucepan over medium heat, and then whisk in flour.
Continue whisking for a minute or two to cook the flour.
Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly, and cook until the sauce is thickened.
Return turnips to sauce and heat through.
Season with salt and pepper.
You can view the entire post Click Here.
2018, July 15
They were both quite impressed with the place and want to tell all their camping buddies about it. So here goes - and remember that all the backdrops are handpainted. Wonders of Wildlife (WOW) is a part of the original Bass Pro in Springfield, Missouri.
Tasting: I finally took Nancy to Keeter Center, and since she was off in the middle of the week, Martha could go too. Martha and I had the chicken-fried chicken (our favorite):
They always serve wheat rolls, cranberry scones (they call them biscuits), with homemade apple butter and butter from their dairy.
Tasting: Remember the scone mix in my CARE package from last week? I made the scones for breakfast - so easy. You just add water, mix, drop on parchment, and bake. Fantastic! I made myself stop after two. I could have eaten the entire dozen.
I ate them with my yummy butter from Ireland (which I save for special times) and red raspberry seedless jam. The tray was from my Special Girls up North too. It came laden with goodies.
You can view the entire blog post Here.
2019, July 16
Theme Meals: We finally had the July 4th lunch on Sunday, which happened to be Bastille Day. Not so far off, since we probaby couldn't have won the Revolutionary War without the aid of the French. In addition, I think the French Revolution (celebrated on Bastille Day) was a result of the seed planted by our revolution.
The Menu
BBQ Ribs
Potato Salad
Baked Beans
Copycat KFC Cole Slaw
Deviled Eggs
Pickled Cucumbers and Onions
Strawberry Cake - Frozen Caramel Pie
And Joey brought Corn on the Cob and Brownies
The recipes for Baked Beans and Copycat KFC Cole Slaw are already in the drop downs. The cake is in the drop down and is called Kathy's Jello Cake. I used a white cake mix and strawberry Jello. The frosting was canned Betty Crocker strawberry. I beat it a couple of minutes, which fluffs it up, makes it easier to spread, and produces more volume; a tip I learned on Pinterest.
Here's the recipe for the BBQ ribs:
BBQ RIBS
2-3 lb slabs baby back ribs
Homemade or purchased barbecue sauce of your choice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs chili powder
2 tsps cumin
2 Tbs paprika
1 tsp dry mustard
Heat the oven to 275°.
Mix the dry rub ingredients and set aside.
Rinse the ribs, dry them, and remove the thin membrane from the back of the ribs.
Place a slab on a double thickness of aluminum foil and using your hand, cover it with the dry rub. Wrap and seal tightly. Repeat with the other slab.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for two hours.
Open foil carefully to release the steam, pour off the juices and brush with barbecue sauce.
Broil for five minutes and then tent with foil to rest for five minutes before cutting.
I'm going to Becky and Jimmy's for a BBQ rib dinner on the 27th - then I can have some REAL ribs. My brother is the master rib smoker.
The Pepper and Pals Report: Nothing new here, except that I'm happy to say that Sweetie Face has survived the kitten snatcher so far. I just want to gather her up and cuddle her, but she won't let me near. At least I can go on the patio for a little before she gets spooked.
Sweetie Face is still hanging around, but she's a he. Been caught and neutered.
Not much on this post, as I was just recovering from Shingles.
To view the entire post, Click Here.
Highlights from July 2020: Covid well underway; I had only one post this month.
I'm considering a Tea Tray Book - 52 in all. Do you think that would be interesting enough? This is just cucumber sandwiches and lemon curd tarts, so I wouldn't put recipes. Oh, and these ivy dishes are gone also, along with the placemats.
This is hummingbird cake, so I would put the recipe.
I've also been shopping. I got a new ceiling fan with a light for my screened patio (not installed yet), a new mixer so I could replace that Kitchenaid I hated, an Instant Pot I haven't used yet, and a BBQ grill I haven't put together yet. I can assemble the big one (I've done one before), but this is just a baby - $17 - that's how baby and it uses real charcoal. Too hot to barbeque right now anyway.
I haven't been to a restaurant since March 10, except once when I picked up dinner for my niece. I've picked up fast food a few times, but it was always lousy. I feel like Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin - "I want to wear my sandals and I want to go to lunch." But, on the up side, I did get my cataract surgeries behind me before this all hit, I have a computer and a phone to keep in touch with others, I have a bazillion books to read, and over 250 recordings on my thingy box that goes with U-verse. Plus I can make cards forever without going shopping for anything except white cardstock, gluesticks, and double-sided tape.
No one liked the Tea Tray idea, and I still haven't used that Instant Pot.
You can view the entire post (lots of tissue box cards) HERE.
2021, July 17
The Pepper and Pals Report: Pepper and Stormy are doing well, bugging me for a treat each time I enter the kitchen. How do they know? They can be in a sound sleep in the guest room, family room, wherever, and the minute I walk into the kitchen and open the dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave, or turn on the water, I have two cats at my feet.
I think I told you that I added Grandpa. He's really old, came by and found food and decided to stay. He only leaves the patio to go potty. You knew about Tobin, the yellow guy, and Louie (known as Lucifer before I had him neutered). They all just drifted in and stuck around. They were accepted into the connected group, and they all get along. I still have Fred, Flower, Sweetie Face, and Baby from the connected group. Each one mentioned is a boy, and they've all been neutered. Flower, Fred, and Sweetie Face leave sometimes, but usually never more than a week. Baby misses some meals.
Miss Tippy disappeared some time ago, and now Beau hasn't been around for over a week, nor have I seen BJ for awhile. She might have a litter somewhere. She's the only kitty who hasn't been to the vet to be spayed or neutered.
And if anyone wants Pepper, I'm about ready to give him the boot. He just loves to dig. The potty box is inside the door which is a powder room.
Things that Grow: Remember the wave petunias I found at Menards for a penny each? I love them. I just learned a tip I'd like to share. I already knew that they need to be deadheaded on a regular basis, but I've just removed the spent blossoms. No! You have to remove the green part and the stem, along with the dead flower. The little green pea under the flower holds the seeds, and if the plant starts setting seeds, the plant will die. Who knew? You also need to thin them. Petunia care YouTube is HERE.
Notice Grandpa peeking from behind the black pot in the corner.
My kitty situation now: Pepper and Stormy inside. Sweetie Face outside. Eats most meals here and usually sleeps in the patio. Earl Gray comes and goes - mostly goes. Sleeps in the patio sometimes. Freddie is mostly gone. Shows up occasionally for a meal, sleeps in the patio in a heated house in the winter. That's it.
You can view the entire post HERE.
My blog was locked in February, 2022, and I didn't blog for awhile until I started this new blog.
That's all folks!
BE MINDFUL OF THE HEAT
STAY HYDRATED
USE SUNSCREEN
EAT LOTS OF LEAFY GREENS
AND AN APPLE A DAY
THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE
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