Joy in the Kitchen!

Our garden is finally coming on nicely!  One of the things we look forward to the most from our garden is creamed potatoes and peas.  My Mom used to make these a few times every summer from the first digging of potatoes and the first nice picking of peas.  Mom never had a measured recipe and neither have I, however, my kids and others have asked several times how to make them so this last time I made them I measured ingredients so I could write a recipe. :)   This should be more helpful than "add more milk until it's the thickness you like" or "until it tastes right". If you don't grow a garden or have access to a nice farmers market, you could use small red potatoes and frozen peas and have a dish that is still tasty.  It isn't nearly as wonderful as fresh from the garden, but it is still good. Creamed New Potatoes and Peas 3-4 lbs. of new red or gold potatoes 2 C. freshly shelled green peas Wash potatoes leaving skins on. Cut potatoes in...

Need a quick and easy cake to take to a summer picnic, easy dessert for company, or a delicious afternoon snack at home?   This cake is easy and convenient to make.  My 13 year old daughter has been making this cake in several variations for more than two years and can do it my herself now.  She tried this with the cinnamon chips this past week and we all loved it!  The cinnamon and glaze make it a great breakfast cake. If you've never used cinnamon chips before, they are mini chips that melt into whatever they're baked in.  If you live near me, I can order these for you through Alison's Pantry.  Otherwise you can order them from King Arthur Flour and even on Amazon (of course!).   Click THIS LINK to see what they're like.  Unlike chocolate chips, they are not good for eating straight out of the bag, but they are a delicious addition to muffins, breads, cakes, and other baked goods. Cinnamon Chip Bundt Cake 1 pkg. white cake mix 1 C....

I made these for my daughters wedding reception.  They are super easy and delicious!  I don't have a picture with these but I love to do a variety of coatings to make a pretty plate of treats.  Coatings are easy to coordinate with the current holiday so you can make these year-round.  It's almost shameful how easy they are to make.  (and honestly, they're even easier to eat!) Decadent Chocolate Truffles 8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened 3 C. powdered sugar, sifted 3 C. Semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or other flavoring coatings of choice:  ground nuts, cocoa powder, coconut, powdered sugar, sprinkles, candy melts of any color, melted. Beat cream cheese until it is smooth.  Gradually beat in powdered sugar until well blended.  Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla flavoring until well mixed. Refrigerate about an hour.  Shape into 1 inch balls.  Roll truffles in desired coating.  Makes about 60 truffles....

My son loves the Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies from Subway.  These were an experiment to try imitating those.  It's been a while since I've had one of those cookies from Subway, but whether they compare exactly or not, this experiment turned out really well!  My son gives them two thumbs up so I will continue making these cookies!  YUM!    I used my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with some modifications.  I left out the regular vanilla and chocolate chips and added a block of cream cheese, a little extra flour, raspberry flavoring and raspberry "bits".  These raspberry bits I ordered through Alison's Pantry a while back.  They haven't been in the catalog but will be for the September order!  You can find a similar product on Amazon Here.   The products aren't exactly the same but I imagine either would work. This does make a large batch but they freeze really well in either dough or baked form! Raspberry Cheesecake...

One of the tastiest ways to cool off on a hot summer day is with a slushie!  Shaved ice or Icee's are really tasty but not always conveniently located (or in the budget!).  We live in a very rural area so it takes a trip to town for those.  Though, we do have an ice cream truck that occasionally stops by - we think THAT is a real treat!  An ice cream truck in the country is a rare sighting!    Years ago we bought a Vita-Mix brand blender.  We've used the daylights out of it.  Smoothies, ice cream, chopped veggies, whole wheat blender pancakes, etc.  At 20 years old it's still in pretty good shape.  It is one of the best blenders on the market even now and can easily tackle pulverizing ice cubes.  I love my Vita-Mix!    This is the first year we've done slushies at home.  (lots of ice cream and smoothies, but no slushies!  We've been missing out!)    Simple directions for a Slushie: 1 packe...

This hearty salad works well as a potluck side dish or as a main dish for a summertime meal!  Several years ago my sister Beverly brought this dish often to family gatherings.  It always disappeared quickly!  Several of my children request it.  I usually don't put the pineapple in and red grapes are as good as green.  Yum!  It calls for cooked chicken breast.  I usually simmer them in water until done but baked works just fine too. Bev's Yummy Chicken and Pasta Salad 4 boneless chicken breast, cooked and diced 6 oz. small shell macaroni, cooked and drained 2 C. celery, diced 1 bunch green onions, sliced 2 lbs green grapes (or red seedless grapes) 1 small can tidbit pineapple, drained 1 C. Kraft coleslaw dressing 1 C. mayonnaise 1 C. cashews (reserve a few for garnish) Mix mayonnaise and coleslaw dressing together.  Pour over other ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir to coat, sprinkle with a few extra cashews.  Chill until...

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...