Joy in the Kitchen!

My Dad grows a beautiful garden!  Every years since I can remember he has planted all the basics for our area and then a few less common vegetables.  One of those I love is parsnips.  If you've never heard of a parsnip, there's a wealth of information on the internet.  A quick explanation is that parsnips are a member of the carrot family, they are much more sweet, and a white color.  Parsnips can "winter over".  You can begin harvesting in the fall after the first frost, but you can leave them in the ground and dig in the spring as the ground thaws as well.   They sweeten more with the frost.  Dad usually digs his in the spring. These parsnips have wintered over and are a bit large.  Ideally they'll be the size of a large carrot. Mom always fixed parsnips by peeling, cutting in large chunks, and boiling until almost tender.  Then she would cool them, slice, and fry them in butter.  They were delicious!  I found I...

It's April First!  Last year I had time to make a much more elaborate dinner - I'll post some pictures of that below.  This year I just don't have the energy or time so dinner is much more simple.    Our menu: Chicken Burgers Chips Soda If children aren't interested in this menu they may replace the chicken with some pulled turkey, and the chips for carrots.  We'll see if there's room and time for dessert! Happy April Fools! April Fools 2013  -   Meatloaf Cupcakes, Mashed Potato Sundaes, and Jello drink.   Dirt cake for dessert!

If you like German Chocolate Cake topping, you will like the topping for this delicious oatmeal cake!   My Dad joins us for dinner every Sunday and I've enjoyed making some dinners and desserts that my Mom used to make.  This Oatmeal Cake is one of those desserts that I remember Mom making on special occasions as I was growing  up.  We often had it in addition to pies at Thanksgiving dinner, and it was a cake she took to pot luck dinners.   The topping for this is carmeley and full of nuts and coconut.  The cake is a bit heavier and moist.   Personally I count this cake as a health food considering the oats, cream, and eggs that are involved here. :) Total mixing and baking time, including the topping that you put back in the oven, is around one hour.  Time well spent! Mom's Oatmeal Cake 1 1/2 C. boiling water 1/2 C. butter 1 C. uncooked quick oats Mix together, cover pan and set aside for 10 minutes. Mix together the followin...

Happy Valentine's Day!   I decided to bake cookies to decorate for my family for Valentine's Day this year.  I usually make sugar cookies but I don't always do more than slather frosting across them and sprinkle with pretties.  Sometimes I have time and it's fun to make them pretty - my girls who are 11 & 13 and my granddaughter who is 7 will LOVE these. (and I'm pretty sure my sons and grandson won't pass up a cookie just because it's pink and prettied up!) I used to work with Shirley at a restaurant years ago.  She was like a second Mom to me for several years as we worked and chatted together several evenings a week.  One year for my birthday she gave me a Dough Disc which you can see HERE  .   It's a plastic disc with a cotton cover that you slip on when you're ready to roll dough.  It works AMAZING!  Holds the flour nicely and when you're finished you just shake it in the trash & toss the cover in the laundry.  ANYW...

I love the frosting on German Chocolate Cake.  So carmeley and nutty and sticky and wonderful!  I needed to make some cupcakes for a birthday today and since there was no school, my girls had fun helping.   I love having the kids help in the kitchen.  They always want to to the fun stuff  like cracking eggs, or measuring sugar, or stirring.  I hardly EVER have a child beg me to help with the dishes or put ingredients away.  Hmmm...  For this recipe we needed 3 egg yolks.  My friend sent me a link to a video that showed an innovative way to separate eggs, and though I think just using the shell is easy enough, we gave this new method a try, just to see.  It was fun!    You can find that video HERE .  Essentially, you just crack an egg into a bowl and use an empty water bottle to suck the egg yolks up out of the whites.  It was pretty easy as long as you didn't break the yolk while cracking the egg.   Here a...

One of my favorite sundae toppings is hot fudge!  You can't beat the smooth, rich flavor of this easy homemade sauce.  It is quick to make and, if you hide it in the back of the fridge, it will store for 3 weeks or more.  Just heat in the microwave a few seconds to soften it up before you use it as it will set up when it's cold. Fabulous Hot Fudge Sauce 1 cube of butter 1 1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 large can evaporated milk 2 1/2 C. powdered sugar 1 tsp. vanilla Melt butter over low heat and add chocolate chips.  Stir until chocolate is melted.  Add milk and powdered sugar.  Whisk together until smooth.  Bring to boil and simmer a few minutes stirring constantly.  Add vanilla.  Cool slightly before using. Enjoy over ice cream or on a spoon straight out of the jar in the fridge!  Mmmm!

Sometimes a nice, hot fudge sundae hits the spot perfectly!  This Classic Cocoa Sauce is so easy to make and delicious on ice cream!  Truth be told, once it's in the fridge in a jar, a spoonful here and there is pretty awesome too! My sister-in-law Susy passed this recipe on to me. It uses ingredients that I always have on hand and takes minutes to make.  It is our family favorite! Classic Cocoa Sauce 6 T. cocoa powder 1 C. sugar 3/4 C. evaporated milk 1/4 C. butter 1/8 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. vanilla Mix cocoa and sugar.  Blend in milk.  Add butter and salt and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Cool slightly before serving.  Sauce thickens as it cools. Joy's Notes:   I prefer to double this recipe mainly because it will use the full can of canned milk rather than leaving me with 3/4 C. of milk to figure out a way to use.  This stores in th...