Home Cookin’

While I’ve been out of town, I’ve had the opportunity to cook multiple meals for the family with I’ve been staying.  They’ve enjoyed all the different meals I’ve created, and keep saying that I’m spoiling them!  Well, that seems to be a good sign!  🙂

I thought I’d post a couple of the recipes, and photos to go along with it, that I’ve used.   Pinterest is a great place to find recipes.  In fact I found a couple of the ones I’m posting here on Pinterest.   (Yes, I know, that’s amazing isn’t it?!  I actually made a recipe from Pinterest, instead of just pinning a bunch!)

Stuffed Zucchini

Their picture is much better than mine!

My version of the stuffed zucchini recipe.

This recipe is super easy, and really delicious!  I bet you could even get your kids to eat it.  😉

Sweet Potato Fries

Yum!

Sweet potato fries – yeah!

These were not as crispy as I would’ve liked, but that probably could’ve been attained if I would have flipped them over one by one, as the recipe said.  Even so, they were delicious!

Avocado, Corn and Tomato Salad

DE-lish! (Not my image; unfortunately I wasn’t able to photograph my version.)

This was so refreshing, and amazingly delicious! (Well, maybe not that amazing, since there was corn AND avocados in it!)   It would go great with anything Mexican, and especially some corn tortilla chips.  Mmmm, it’s making me hungry just looking at it.

Banana Nut Cake

Mother’s Day cake

Even though I wasn’t with my Mom on Mother’s Day, I still made a cake in her honor, as well as for my Aunt, who I am currently with.  The banana nut cake recipe I used turned out well, though not overly spectacular.  Plenty moist and sweet, and it hit home.

Cranberry-Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

The combination of cranberries, walnuts and an oatmeal cookie is scrumptious.

This recipe I got of the side of a Food Club® oatmeal container.  It turned out really well, especially if you like cranberries, and is as easy to make as any other cookie.  Delicious warm or cold, and especially yummy with a cool glass of milk!  In fact, I ate two or three of these for breakfast this morning.

Cranberry-Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

The mixture of cranberries, walnuts and an oatmeal cookie is scrumptious.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) margarine or butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening (or just use butter)
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups dried cranberries**
• 1 cup chopped pecans (or I used walnuts)

**I actually only used about 1 cups worth, and that turned out to be plenty.

Directions:

Beat sugars, margarine (or butter) and shortening until creamy.  Add eggs, milk and vanilla; mix well.  Combine oats, flour, baking power, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.  Add to margarine (or butter) mixture; mix well.  Stir in cranberries and pecans (or walnuts).  Chill dough 1 hour.**  Preheat oven to 350°F.  Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes before removing to racks to cool.

Make ~5 dozen.

**Or not – you don’t have to, it just makes it easier to put on the cookie sheet.

Angel (Buttermilk) Biscuits

Soft and fluffy Angel Biscuits

My family and I traveled out to East Texas this past week to visit my Grandparents and some other family that lives out there.  Grams (my Grandma) is a superb baker, and EVERYONE loves her delicious homemade biscuits.  She made two or three large batches just during the time we were visiting.  So, I decided to grab my camera and equipment and video her as she made a batch of Angel Biscuits.  The noise you hear in the background was due to games being played by cousins, and conversations going on.  Anyway, this video isn’t just of my Grandma showing you how to make Angel Biscuits.  It’s lots more than that, to me at least.  It’s a time of mentoring; a older woman to younger women, passing on information and tips she’s learned over the years.  And the little stories she throws in is priceless.  This video will be a treasure to me for years to come, and maybe you’ll find it enjoyable, too!

I hope you’re having a fantastic 2013 so far!  Happy New Year!