Aebleskivers

2 egg whites	1/2 tsp salt
2 C flour	2 egg yolks
2 tsp baking powder	4 T butter, melted
1 T sugar	2 C buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking sode	butter for frying

1.  In a clean glass or metal bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they can hold a stiff peak.  Set aside.
2.  Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, sugar, egg yolks, melted butter and buttermilk at one time and beat until smooth.  Gently fold in the egg whites.
3.  Put about 1 tablespoon butter in the bottom of each aebleskiver pan cup and heat until hot.  pour in about 2 tablespoons of the batter into each cup.  As soon as they get bubbly around the edge, turn them quickly. (Danish cooks use a long knitting needle, but a fork will work.  We used a small skewer intended for kabobs.)  Continue cooking, turning the ball to keep it from burning.

Before turning the little bundles of deliciousness, add a bit of jam, a slice of apple or any other fruit you have on hand.  Blueberries work well.

To eat, dip them in jam, powdered sugar or, my favorite, cut them in half and drizzle a little bit of syrup on them.  Trust me you do NOT need to add any extra butter.

We loved these.  Thanks to Candleman who bought the pan and made them the first time.  I'll try to get pictures next time.

Summertime Pasta

I got the original recipe for this dish from Pioneer Woman.  She named her version Farfalle with Zucchini but I changed the name because I thought the farfelle (bowties) was too substantial (heavy) for this dish.  I made it the first time just like she said, but tonight I substitued angel hair for the farfalle and we liked it much better.


Summertime Pasta
1 med onion, diced
4-5 regular sized zucchini, crookneck or other summer squash
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
3 cloves garlic, minced or diced
olive oil
10-oz angel hair pasta
2/3 C chicken broth (or white wine)
1 Tbsp Arrowroot (for thickening)
1/2 - 3/4 C cream
fresh herbs - basil, lemon thyme, chives (whatever you've got)
Parmesan cheese

Set a pan of water to boil for the pasta.  Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.  I had a banana pepper from the garden so I diced that up, too.  It's very mild and tastes just like a yellow sweet pepper.  I quarter-cut yellow crookneck for the sauce and, using a mandolin slicer, I thinly sliced zucchini to cook with the pasta.

When the water boils cook pasta and zucchinni for 4-5 minues.

Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil over med high heat.  Saute the onions and garlic, until onions are
translucent; add squash (and diced pepper).  When the squash is almost cooked but still has a slight crunch, turn the heat to medium and toss in the tomatoes.  Cook for a minute or two.  Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Stir in the Arrowroot, immediately the sauce will start to thicken.    Remove from heat and pour in the cream.  Stir gently.

To serve, pour the drained pasta into a serving bowl.  Add lots of fresh herbs - I forgot the herbs tonight and that makes me sad because they add so much yumminess to the dish.  I have oregano, basil and rosemary growing in the garden, too.  Pour the sauce over the top.  Add parmesan cheese and gently stir.

Old-Fashioned Meatloaf

from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two p. 188

1 1/2 lbs ground chuck	1 Tbsp minced onion or shallot
2/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats	3 Tbsp grated carrot
1 egg, beaten	1 tsp salt
1/3 cup ketchup	ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1. Place the ground beef, oats, and egg in a large mixing bowl. Add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, onion, carrot, salt, and pepper. Using your hands or a large fork, mix gently but thoroughly, being careful not to compact the meat. shape the meat mixture into a mounded oval or round loaf, depending on the shape of your cooker.

2. Make a foil 'cradle' that will help you easily remove the meatloaf from the cooker when it is done. Tear a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil that is about 14 inches long. Fold in half lengthwise, then in half again lengthwise to make a strip about 3 inches wide. Place the foil strip into the crock. The edges of the foil will come up the sides of the crock; they don't need to come out the top. Center the meatloaf in the crock, on top of the strip. cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 5 hours, until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meatloaf reads 160 to 165 degrees.

***Personal note: I thought the meatloaf was not as good as my own recipe, but my daughter loved it. I think 2 eggs were need to hold it together better. Maybe a little mustard would have helped the flavor. I also added some dry oregano and basil.

Chicken Breast with Tomato-Basil Sauce

p 199 The Marshall Field's Cookbook

4 boneless chicken breasts	1 shallot, minced
Salt & freshly ground pepper	2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour	2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil	3/4 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp unsalted butter	16 grape tomatoes, halved
(at room temperature)	1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

Season the chicken breast on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour and shake off any excess.

Combine the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, place the chicken in the pan and cook, turning once, for 5 - minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Add the shaallot and garlic to the hot pan. Saute for 1 minute, then add the viegar to deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom. add the chicken broth and tomatoes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until reduced by half. Remove the pan from the heat. Stirring constantly, add the basil, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and salt and pepper to taaste. stir until the butter is incorporated into the sauce.

Place the chicken breast on a serving platter and pour the sauce over. Serve at once.

Puff Oven Pancakes

from Make-A-Mix Cookery

4 Tablespoons butter	Strawberry jam, frozen is best
4 eggs	2 sliced bananas
2/3 cups pancake mix*	1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450°. Put 2 tablespoons butter each in two 9-inch pie plates. Put in preheating oven to melt butter. In a blender, combine eggs, milk and pancake mix. Pour batter into pie plates. Bake 18 minutes, until pancakes are puffy and browned. Do not open oven while pancakes are cooking. Spread strawberry jam on each pancake; top with sliced bananas and a sprinkling of brown sugar.

*Use purchased pancake mix or make this recipe ahead of time and store it in an airtight container.
10 cups flour
2 1/2 cups instant nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking powder
2 tablespoons salt

Caramelized Onion Chicken

from The Best Family Slow Cooker Recipes by Donna-Marie Pye

4-5 chicken breasts, skinless	1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/2 tsp salt	1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp black pepper	1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp butter	2 tsp grated ginger root
1 sweet onion, sliced	1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves

1. Place chicken in slow cooker stoneware and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. In a medium skillet, melt butter on med-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10-12 minutes longer, stirring often, until onions are tender and golden brown. Spread over top of chicken.
3. In a bowl, combine jam, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger root and rosemary. Pour over chicken and onions.
4. Cover and cook on Low for 5 to 7 hours or on High for 2 1/2 to 4 hours, until chicken is no longer pink inside.

Cook'n Recipe Software

A couple years ago I went on a massive internet search for an easy-to-use, works-for-me program that would allow me to enter my own recipes and print them out. Good grief! Who knew there were so many. I investigated each one thoroughly. There were always some nice features, but none did everything I wanted it to do in an easy and useful format.

I was just about ready to give up when I found Cook'n. This product filled every demand I asked it to and more. I know I sound like a salesman, but I don't get any kickback for writing this blog. The only reason I'm taking the time to write about Cook'n is because I think it's fabulous and I know there are others who are searching for recipe software like this.

This page will provide a brief summary of the features.

Some of the features I really like:
*I can add my own recipes, along with pictures
*I don't have to type out complete words for each ingredient, i.e. cup, large, onion; as soon as I start to type the word the program completes the word for me.
*If a word or product isn't already part of the program I can add it.
*I can plan a weekly menu and Cook'n will provide me with a shopping list.
*There are tons of cookbooks available to incorporate into Cook'n, such as Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Taste of Home, Gooseberry Patch and even one for Cook'n with Weber.
*It will adjust ingredient amounts for different serving sizes.
*Organizes the shopping list into dairy, meats, frozen, etc.
*It provides nutritional analysis - even for my recipes!

If you are interested you can view a 13 min. demo that shows you how to use all the features.

The reason I bought this product is so I could easily enter my own recipes, add a picture of the recipe and then print a book for me and each of my children. I hope I get that done before I die. I've started two cookbooks within the software - one for me that will include all sorts of delicious recipes, both family favorites and those the kids turn their nose up at but that Candleman and I really like and another one for the kids that will only include family favorites.