Joy in the Kitchen!

  Christmas Candy!   Just the thought brings the buttery sweet scent vividly to my mind. Can you almost smell that?  My growing up years, my Dad often made fudge and Mom made caramels.  Together they made peanut brittle and sometimes divinity and cheat Marzipan.  Sooo good!   I mainly watched and licked spoons that were meant to be washed.   As Dave and I created our own candy traditions, we had a lot to combine!  His Grandma Evelyn was a big candy maker.  She made candy and cookies and shipped them to all of her children.  We inherited Grandpa's marble slab and large pan that he used to make caramels.  I remember him talking me through making caramels several times the first years we were married.  It took many tries to get them to turn out as well as his and Grandma's, but finally I can do them justice!  Grandma used some of the caramels as well as fondant she made and dipped chocolates, she made so many kinds ...

  We've just finished with our latest snowstorm.  I really wanted to say that was our LAST of the season snowstorm, but it's still March and we had a snowstorm in May last year!   The BEST part of winter for me, is that it's Soup Season!  I LOVE soup! (… and chowder! Soup and Chowder will be used interchangeably in this post!)  I could eat it several times a week.   A delicious bowl of steaming soup just soothes all of the rough, cold, places in your soul.    Lately I've needed a generous portion of soul soothing!  Corn Chowder is one of my childhood favorites.  My Mom had a recipe I've never seen anywhere else. The only thickener used is saltine crackers crushed and soaked in milk.  Perhaps it was a depression era recipe as it is very basic and thrifty!  Recently, I wanted a soup that also used chicken (more protein) and I've had a bunch of veggies on hand that need used.  This Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder was ...

  Easter is nearly upon us!  One of our favorite traditions is dying and decorating eggs.  Finding a way to use up those eggs in a timely manner is a challenge for me!  Years ago I came across a similar recipe in a magazine and though I've lost that recipe, I still make up my own version of it nearly every year.   The addition of cottage cheese helps mellow out the heaviness of the eggs, and shredded cheddar cheese adds some fun flavor.   Often we just spread the mixture on slices of bread, but I love a good crusty roll for mine. Enjoy! Humpty Dumpty Egg Salad Sandwiches 4 hard boiled eggs , peeled and diced 1/3  cup celery , finely chopped 1/2 cup cottage cheese 2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/4 cup mayonnaise  1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese salt and pepper to taste Bread of your choice lettuce leaves, optional Gently mix all of the ingredients except the bread.  Spread the bread with butter if you'd like and spread with a th...

I have fond memories of growing up near many of my cousins and Aunts and Uncles!  My Grandpa had let his kids purchase 5 acre lots of land to build on from the acreage he farmed so there were four of my Dad's siblings in a row on the road I grew up on.  The other four of the eight children lived further away, but still close enough to visit often, and until I was 8 years old, my Grandma lived just over a mile from us "in town". Each summer there was a family reunion held, often at Uncle Lloyd's house, which was just through the field from my house.  Tables laden with each Aunt's fried chicken and favorite potluck salads and desserts were the highlight of the day!   Adults visited and children played together in the shade of the old apple trees there in Uncle Lloyd and Aunt Gilberta's yard.  By late afternoon everyone parted ways and returned to their own homes, except Uncle Von and his family who often stayed with us for a few nights since they lived 4 hour...

  Ahhh   it's nearly time for April Fools Day !  I'm no expert on the origins of this day and I'm definitely NOT a fan of mean or hurtful pranks, but I do love to have a bit of fun with my family on this day!  Food is one of our favorite ways to celebrate any holiday, why not this one! You can find some other ideas in a previous post HERE  that I wrote a few years ago.  Some of those ideas take a little more time. This year, even if you don't have much time to be in the kitchen, you can select a few of these ideas to serve your family!  It's fun all day while kids are asking "what's for dinner" to say Fish Tacos or Chicken Sandwiches and then plate these up and serve! Life's too short!   Laugh! Here we have a colorful dinner consisting of a  Chicken Sandwich, with Fruit Slices, and Chips on the side. I just had to share a close up of that chicken sandwich.  Just makes your mouth water! You could add this lovely egg salad as a...

  I brought home an old cookbook from my Mom's stash of recipes.  I wish I'd have asked her more about it when she was alive, but now I'm just making guesses as to it's history.  This book is the Larkin Housewives Cook Book .  Copyright 1915,16,17, and 1923.   I love old books.  My Mom was born in 1929.  I would guess this is her mothers' cookbook.  Her mother passed away when Mom was 6 years old.  My grandpa cooked and had housekeepers to come watch after the house and children for several years after.  Any of them could have enjoyed using this cook book.    There are a few recipes with "good" or "very good" penciled in to the side.  A few small notes in lovely handwriting. (There are even pencil scribbles from a child on a few of the back pages - I had fun imagining my Mom or her brothers doing that while their mom's back was turned.)   One way I can tell the best recipes is in play in this book though, th...

  I don't know that it's fair to call this a pound cake, nothing was measured by pounds!   But it is moist and dense and delicious, just like old fashioned pound cake!  And chocolate to boot!  Can't beat that.  This is lovely in a Bundt pan but would work well in 2 loaf pans as well.  The smooth chocolate ganache on top is my favorite but you can just sprinkle with powdered sugar as it's cooling for a lightly sweet touch. I made this recently for an auction at church.  It was fun to see all of the fun desserts that others brought to auction off as well!  We went home with a delicious German Chocolate cake. Mmm! Triple Chocolate Pound Cake 1 chocolate cake mix (I prefer fudge or rich chocolate) 1 6oz box of instant chocolate pudding 1/2 cup white sugar 2/3 cup water 3/4 cup oil 1 cup sour cream 4 large eggs 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips Ganache 3/4 cup heavy cream 2 cups chocolate chips, semi sweet or milk 2 tsp. coconut oil, optional Prehe...