GG's Peanut Butter Cookies

  Hi all, I apologize for the length of time between posts.  In this time, my son was born and we have been a little busy around here.  It is the holiday season again and that gets me thinking a lot about Mom.  Of course, I think of her every day, but this time of year is magical and I wish she could be here in person to experience the magic of Christmas through the eyes of her grandkids.
  Anyway, I had a hankering for some peanut butter cookies about an hour ago, so I pulled out the old recipe books searching for a recipe.  Found it! This one is almost too easy.  It may be a few extra weeks before I am back into my regular jeans (you know the kind with a button and zipper) due to these morsels.


1 Cup Lard & Butter (Mixed)*
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Cup Peanut Butter
2 Cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla (optional - This was my idea)

1) Preheat oven to 350˚F.

2) Cream butter/lard mixture (totalling 1 cup), sugar, and brown sugar.  

3) Add eggs and mix well.

4) Add peanut butter and vanilla

5) Add flour and baking soda.

6) Mix well and form balls the size of a 50 cent piece.  (That's how old this recipe is...my great grandmother used a 50 cent piece as a size measurement.) That would be about 1/2 inch-1 inch sized balls.  I also need to add to leave more space in between than pictured.  Double the spacing.  They came out of the oven a bit smoothed together. 

7) Press with a fork in a crosshatch pattern.  The dough was soft for me, so I chilled the balls for 10 minutes in the fridge.  Also, a little tip if the fork sticks to the dough when pressing, spray the back of the fork with some pan spray before pressing.  It helps.

8) Bake at 350˚F for 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

That's all there is to it.  Sound off in the comments if you make these and let me know how they come out!

Merry Christmas everyone!

* Admittedly, I used a full cup of butter.  Had I used the half lard or shortening as instructed, They would have come out a bit more sturdy.

Enchilada Casserole

 We are back on the cooking train!  After taking a bit of a hiatus from grocery shopping (literally), I finally got back to Trader Joe's, stocked the pantry and refrigerator, and my family can eat home-cooked meals again.  I think my husband is happy about this.  I broke open Mom's recipe books again and came across this easy enchilada casserole.  It is not only extremely easy, but boy, it is good!  I feel that it can be eaten alone as a casserole or it can be used as a dip!
  As usual, I do not know where it originated from and invite any readers to speak up if they know the history about this one.  I absolutely love learning about where these recipes came from and about the people that knew my Mom.  She had a great impact on the lives of so many people and it warms my heart to hear more about her from those that loved her!
 

3    Cans chili - no beans (I used turkey chili with beans and it is delicious)

1    Can corn - drained

1    8 oz sour cream

1/2 Bag crushed corn chips

1    Cup green chili salsa

- Mix all ingredients together and place in baking dish.  

- Top with cheddar cheese.

- Bake 30 minutes at 350ºF.

- Serves best if it has been refrigerated and re-heated.

And that is it!  So fast, so easy!  Happy Superbowl Sunday! This one would be a good one to take to a party.

Garlic & Clam Fettuccine

  This recipe has been staring me in the face for the last few weeks, but I have been avoiding it.  The reason for this is because I did not recognize this recipe.  I don't ever remember eating this at home, so I was skeptical.  The last time I tried a recipe I did not recognize, it came out absolutely horrible.  I didn't blog about it because I didn't have anything good to say about it.  The funny thing about that Chicken Stroganoff was that on the recipe there was a note that said "Kids like".  Ummmmmmmm,  either my taste buds were underdeveloped back then or I did something very wrong.  It is likely that I messed it up by using the wrong type of vinegar required, but that is neither here nor there.

  Back to the point...I hesitated to make this even though I love clams and had 3 cans in the pantry.  But today was the day and you know, what?  IT.  WAS.  FABULOUS!  I absolutely love it!  Going along with a common theme that Mom's recipes have, it was EASY EASY EASY and FAST!  The entire dish was complete in the time it takes for the noodles to boil.  So, here it is, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did around here.  Even my husband, who is learning to expand his palate to all kinds seafood, loved it!

1     Tablespoon Olive Oil

1     Tablespoon Butter

2     Cups Clams (I used 3 cans - 6.5 oz ea - of whole clams)

1/2  Red Onion, chopped

4     Garlic cloves, chopped

1/4  teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1/4  teaspoon Salt

1/4  teaspoon Pepper

1     Bay Leaf

1     Cup White Wine

2     Cups Chicken Broth

       Fettuccine Noodles

       Parmesan Cheese

       Chopped Green onions to garnish

-  Start the water boiling for the noodles. 

-  While the water is heating up, get the sauce ready:  In a large pan, cook, Olive Oil, Butter, Clams*,  Red Onion, and Garlic.  Cook for a few minutes until onions are soft.  My clams were popping in the pan!  YUM!

-  Add the spices and let simmer for 5 minutes.

-  Add the White Wine and let simmer for 5 more minutes.  I poured two laps worth of wine into the pan.  It was roughly 1 cup.  This smells absolutely DIVINE!

-  Add the Chicken Broth to the pan, cover, reduce heat, and simmer.  Let it simmer until the noodles are done cooking.  

-  Drain noodles and add to sauce pan. Toss noodles in the sauce with Parmesan Cheese.  I did not have Fettuccini noodles, so I used Whole Wheat Spaghetti noodles instead and it was tasty!

-  Garnish with a tad more cheese and chopped Green Onions.

  This one is going in my big book of go-to recipes right now!

* I used whole clams and chopped them up a little bit using my handy dandy Quick Chef from Tupperware that I LOVE and endorse 100%!  I wish I received a royalty for how often I recommend it.

Cabbage Casserole

  This one is for the countless folks who have asked me for this recipe over the years.  It was Mom's favorite dish!  I wish I knew where it originated from, but I know that Mom made a few crucial changes to the original recipe that give this casserole it's very own flair of flavor.  The ground turkey and brown rice make all the difference!  It has been a household staple around here and is now my husband's favorite as well.  I must admit that I can't whip this one up without thinking about her.  Love you, Mom!

2    lbs Ground Turkey

1    Large Onion, chopped

3    Garlic Cloves, minced

2    Cans (15 oz. ea) tomato sauce, divided

1    teaspoon dried Thyme

1/2 teaspoon Dill Weed

1/2 teaspoon rubbed Sage

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

2    Cups cooked Brown Rice

1    Medium head of Cabbage, shredded

Tip: to peel garlic, place the blade of a large chef knife over the garlic clove and carefully hit it firmly with the heel of your hand.  This will crack the peel right off the clove!  Thank you, Chopped!

Next to my kitchen aid, this is my favorite kitchen tool.  It's a Quick Chef from Tupperware!  Never will I ever chop onions by hand.  In exactly 6 seconds, I have perfectly chopped onions & garlic to toss into my pan!

-  Cook the rice first!  I often forget to do this first and then I feel that it sets me back and adds to my cook time for everything.  

-  In a large skillet, cook the ground turkey, onion and garlic until the meat is no longer pink.  

-  Add 1 can of tomato sauce and the seasonings.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

-  Stir in rice and remove from heat.

-  Pour 1/3 meat mixture into a 9x13 inch pan.  Layer with cabbage ending with cabbage on top.  

-  Pour remaining can of tomato sauce over the top.

-  Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  

Meatball & Bean Soup

  This meatball & bean soup has become a new regular on the dinner circuit around here.  I have now made it twice!  It is foolproof, fast, super easy and comes out delicious every time.  It only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.  Mom struck gold with this one!

4 Cups           Water
1 16 oz can    Crushed Tomatoes
1 15 oz can    Pinto Beans
1 15 oz can    Kidney Beans
1                    Carrot, sliced
4 tsp               Beef Bouillon granules
1 tsp               Dried Oregano
1/4 tsp            Thyme
several dashes Hot Sauce
1/2 Cup          Elbow Macaroni (or shells)
24                  Frozen Meatballs

- Combine water, undrained tomatoes, drained kidney beans, undrained pinto beans, carrot, bouillon, oregano, thyme, and hot sauce.  The original recipe calls for kidney beans or pinto beans, but I use both and it is bomb!  Also, I didn't have beef bouillon, so I used chicken bouillon and it comes out delicious just the same!

- Bring to a boil and add macaroni.

- Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Recently, I was watching Secrets of a Restaurant Chef with Anne Burrell and she said, "B2BR2S" Bring To Boil, Reduce To Simmer".  I loved the acronym!  Now, of course, I use it.

- Add meatballs and...here we go...B2BR2S!  Bring to boil, reduce to simmer for 5 minutes or until meatballs are heated through.

- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with sourdough toast!

G.G.'s Tapioca Pudding

  Tapioca pudding brings the memories flooding back!  It has always been a staple at Christmastime.  I have made this a few times in the past and I have not been able to get it perfect yet.  Today, it was just about perfect!  I thought I had messed it up again because it did set up, but when you scoop out a serving, the rest of the pudding filled in the hole.  I asked my uncle about that and he informed me that is how it is supposed to be. Last year, I don't know what went wrong, but it never set up.  This time, I paid close attention to the instructions and it actually worked!

As you can see above, the recipe is a bit all over the place.  Some of it is left up to interpretation.  Here is what I did:

3/4 Cup        Tapioca (I used 1 cup because I do what I want.)
3 Cups          Milk (Whole Milk is recommended)
1/4 Cup         Cornstarch
3/4 Cup         Sugar
2                   Whole Eggs
3                    Egg Yolks
4 Cups           Milk
1 Tablespoon Vanilla

- In a double boiler, cook tapioca in 3 Cups milk until transparent.  Cooking time can vary depending on what type of tapioca you use.  I used Minute Tapioca this time.  It was ready in...well...minutes.  Traditionally, GG used to use the biggest tapioca balls she could find.  That is how I prefer it too.  This process can take more like 30-45 minutes or more.

- In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch and sugar together.  Add 2 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks.  Beat slightly.

- Add another 4 cups milk to the tapioca. Slowly add the egg mixture to the tapioca while stirring constantly.

- Keep stirring constantly!  Cook on medium heat until the foam on the surface disappears.  This took about 20 minutes for me.  Take care not to let it get too hot.  You don't want scrambled eggs in your pudding!

- Remove from heat and add 1 Tablespoon vanilla.

- Pour into 9x13 pan and cool completely.  Depending on how you plan to serve the pudding, you can put it into a 9x13 pan (which was filled to the brim!)  or you can pour into individual serving bowls and chill that way.

- Once it is completely cool and set, cover with meringue.  I chose not to cover with Meringue this time around and it still came out pretty tasty!

**Fun Fact** Unrelated to the making of this recipe, if you look closely, you will see "Genevieve" written on the original recipe.  As most of you know, we are expecting our second child this May and if it were going to be a girl, Genevieve was going to be part of her name.  We had decided this before I noticed Genevieve written in my G.G.'s handwriting on this recipe.  You can imagine our surprise when we discovered this!  I took it as a sign from Spirit that we were on the right track.  :)  Turns out this baby is a Boy, but it is still a fun story anyway!

Reese's Peanut Butter Balls

Merry Christmas everyone!  A long-standing tradition in this house has been the one and only Peanut Butter Balls.  It just isn't Christmas without them!  I remember there were a few times in the past that on the night of December 23rd, Mom would be working late to get last-minute things done before taking a few days off to enjoy the holiday.  That would mean that the making of the Peanut Butter Balls wouldn't begin until late into the night.  Lucky me, I got to stay up late and make them with Mom! Yay!  We would be rolling the balls at Midnight.  At 2:00 am, we would be dipping them in chocolate.  If that isn't dedication to a tradition, I don't know what is.

The tradition must go on!  It is Christmas Eve and I have the family coming over for dinner tonight.  Chili, cornbread, tamales, tapioca pudding, and peanut butter balls are on the menu!  I can't wait to eat!  We have been out of town the last few days, so I am just getting around to the Peanut Butter Balls.  I realize I am pushing the envelope here, but at least I'm doing it!

1 lb Margerine (I use butter, of course)
2 Cups Peanut Butter
2 1/2 - 3 Boxes (2 1/2 - 3 lbs) Powdered Sugar
3 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
1 Large package semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
1 package Butterscotch Chips
1/3 stick Parowax

-  Cream butter and peanut butter together.
-  Add 3 Tablespoons vanilla extract.
-  Add powdered sugar 1/2 lb at a time.  When the dough unsticks from the side of the bowl, it is done.  It should be about the consistency of cookie dough.

-  Roll into balls.  I use a Tablespoon to measure them out so they are relatively uniform.  I got 105 balls this time around.  Line baking sheet with wax paper and line up the balls.  Freeze for at least 1 hour.  This is important because when you go to dip the balls into the chocolate, they will stay together .

-  Use a cheese grater to grate the Parowax.  This is the fastest way to shred it up and it will be in small enough chunks to melt right into the chocolate very easily.  (For years, Mom would use a paring knife to cut off small pieces of wax.  This would take SO long to do.  Then 2 years ago, I was over using the knife and pulled out the cheese grater.  Mom was floored!  She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of that years ago. Hehe!  A fun memory!)

For anyone unsure of where to find Parowax, check the canning section of your grocery store.

-  Over a double-boiler, melt semi-sweet chocolate, butterscotch chocolate and Parowax.
-  Dip balls into chocolate and refrigerate until chocolate is set.  I have yet to find a faster way to dip the balls into chocolate other than by dropping the ball into the chocolate and then using two spoons, lift the ball out and pass it back and forth between the spoons to get all of the excess chocolate off.  Make sure to cover the balls completely in chocolate.  It's just better that way!

  Now, proceed with caution! These little gems are delicious.  I have eaten 5 already.