National Pie Day!

NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell *
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup (6 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• Sweetened whipped cream or ice cream (optional)

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 325° F.

BEAT eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.

BAKE for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.

NOTES:
* If using frozen pie shell, use deep-dish style, thawed completely. Bake on baking sheet; increase baking time slightly.

Tammy at The Pink magnolia invited me to join in. Please join us. Her blog is private but if you e mail her, she will probably invite you in! She has Mr. Linky on her post. Stop by and see her.

Shepherd's Pie

Last night for dinner I made my own version of a shepherd's pie. I fried about 1/4 of a lb. of bacon and set it aside to drain on paper towels. I poured off some of the fat and to the rest I cooked a few tablespoons of flour, then added beef stock (in a carton), canned mushrooms, a little Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Then I added some leftover deli beef torn into bite size pieces.

Meanwhile, I boiled 4-5 potatoes in salted water. When soft, I drained them and mashed them with butter, milk and a little sour cream.

I sprayed a casserole dish with Pam and added the meat/gravy mixture. I spread the mashed potatoes over the top and sprinkled with the bacon and paprika.

Then, I just put it under the broiler until lightly browned. Pretty tasty and we have enough for 1-2 more meals.

Picture courtesy of Rachel Ray

A tasty meal

Tonight I made a crock pot meal.

4- 6 Pork chops ( I used pork country ribs)
vegetable oil
1 onion
1 can low fat cream of mushroom soup
1 small can of sliced mushrooms or fresh sliced
1/2 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons of crushed tapioca
salt & pepper
thyme

Brown trimmed chops in skillet in the vegetable oil
Slice onion into bottom of crock pot
Add chops or country ribs
Add soup, mushrooms, apple juice, and tapioca
Add salt, pepper and thyme to your taste

Cook on low setting 8 hours

Serve with a green salad. You could make some rice or noodles if you like and serve the pork & gravy on top.

Got milk?

We had a cookie marathon last Saturday. We had the oven on for nearly eight hours. I baked with my friend, her daughter, and her daughter's friend. We had a great time, coming up with about sixteen kinds before we were done. We send some to friends and relatives and give some to neighbors. When we were done we ordered pizza and collapsed into our chairs.

I only ate 3 cookies all day. Not bad, if I do say so myself.
The easiest were the poor man's turtles. Just a pretzel with a melted Rolo on top and a pecan.

You can see some of the before mess and the after RESULTS!

Cookie anyone? Got milk?
Poor man's turtles
Mexican wedding cakes
snicker doodles
peanut butter w choc drizzles
chocolate chip
mint chocolate chocolate chip
thumbprint
kitchen sink cookies
fruit bars
peanut clusters
decorated sugar
dipped chocolate sugar
no bake
lemon bars
oatmeal scotchies
cranberry oatmeal chip

Mrs. Claus' Cookbook!

Mrs. Claus' Cookbook has lots of goodies to make for Christmas. This site also has a lot of fun kid's games.
Somebody sent this to me recently and I thought I would share it with you.
My post is short and sweet today. I had problems with my computer yesterday and you would have thought they had cut off my right arm. At any rate, I didn't have much time to get a post together.
Have a great day!
Click on the underlined to go to the site.

Soup-tacular

BooMama started a soup-tacular for today. Just post your favorite soup recipe. Here's mine. It is super easy and very few ingredients.

Chicken Velvet Soup (originally served at the LS Ayres tea room in Indianapolis)

Yield: 5 Servings

6 tb Butter or margarine
1/2 c  Milk
3 c  Chicken broth
1 ds Pepper
6 tb Flour
1/2 c  Light cream
1 c  Fine chopped cooked chicken

In a sauce pan, melt butter or margarine. Blend in flour,
then stir in milk, cream, and chicken broth. Cook over
medium heat,stirring constantly until mixture thickens
and comes to a boil. Reduce heat. Stir in finely cooked
chicken and dash of pepper. Return soup to boiling and
serve immediately.

12 days of Cookies

I received my first cookie recipe from Food Network yesterday. It's not too late to sign up for them to e mail new recipes to you. I'm always looking for new ideas. Click on underlined cookie to go to their site.
Almond lace cookies were day 1.
Anything drizzled in chocolate is great in my book!

Do you bake cookies with friends or family? I bake cookies with my neighbor friend and her daughter. I think we had 15 different kinds last year. The husbands kept passing by the kitchen and sampling. LOL

I love my new dinnerware

I'm still dragging Christmas out of the attic. I seem to be a little behind in starting my decorating this year. I did find a great deal on this holiday dinnerware. I just put some of it out in my breakfast room. I found the little white bird salt and pepper shakers, stocking flatware holders and table runners at Target. I am one of those people that likes a table set all the time. I know, I know, Kenneth Brown on HGTV says you shouldn't do that but he doesn't live here so.........I'll do what I like!!!!

I'm thankful for.........part 4

• I am thankful for kids and puppies
• I am thankful for being left handed and right minded
  
• I am thankful for being able to read
  
• I am thankful for phone calls from my friends
  
• I am thankful for chicken velvet soup
  

I'm thankful for.........part 3

• I am thankful for sunshine
• I am thankful for green grass between my toes
• I am thankful for concerts at the winery
  
• I am thankful for fresh water
  
• I am thankful for Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes!

If you haven't tried these Gooey cakes, you should. They are so easy and they taste great slightly warm out of the oven. Yummy, yummy!

I'm thankful for.........part 2

• I am thankful for a comfortable home
• I am thankful for good health
• I am thankful for great friends
• I am thankful for sunrises and sunsets
• I am thankful for cafe mocha

Have a restful Sunday! See you tomorrow.

Soup for Supper!

I love soup! When the weather gets cold, there's nothing better. OK, maybe some warm brandy and a good man, but............soup is right up there. Recently, I found this copycat soup on line. It's just like Olive Garden's.

Zuppa Toscana

1½ hours 20 min prep

Change to: servings US Metric

1	lb Italian sausage (I like mild sausage)
2	large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half,and then in 1/4 inch slices*
1	large onion, chopped
1/2	can oscar meyer bacon bits
2	cloves garlic, minced
2	cups kale or swiss chard, chopped
2	cans chicken broth
1	quart water
1	cup heavy whipping cream*

• Copycat Soups
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Stove Top Soups
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Potatoes Soups
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Italian Soups
  
  
  
  
  
  

1. Cook sausage in a 300°F oven for approximately 30 minutes. Or on the stove.
   
2. Drain sausages on paper towels and cut into slices.
3. Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, garlic in pot, and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
4. Add sausage and bacon.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
7. Turn to low heat.
8. Add kale and cream.
9. Heat through and serve.

Serves 4-6

I recommend more potatoes to make it a thicker soup. Half and half will cut some of the fat.