My cookie list, that is! Each year I ask all the kids and grand kids what cookies they would like for this year’s holiday season. Sometimes they choose an old stand-by and sometimes something new. At any rate, that starts my list. Just as I prepare for Thanksgiving dishes, I compile all the cookie and treat recipes and the lists begin. Since cookie recipes have so many common ingredients, that list almost looks like a chart. All I have to do is total the columns, check my pantry, and shop for what’s missing. The hardest part for me is making sure I don’t use up ingredients that should be reserved for any of those recipes ahead of time. I could avoid this by preparing cookie kits of pre-measured flour, sugar, etc., but frankly, sometimes I’m just too lazy to take the time. There are so many other things to do.  It’s just smart to try to make sure I have a little extra of the most used components on hand, just in case.
While many people prepare a ham to go along with their Thanksgiving turkey, we save our ham for the week after when we are turkeyed out. I took advantage of the sale pricing on my favorite semi-boneless hams and baked one this past Sunday. Of course, that made ham the theme of the week, but we don’t mind. Hams are so versatile that I always run out of ham before I run out of recipes, but that’s a good thing because leftovers are only good for a determined length of time.

While watching a holiday special on the Food Network, a side dish by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, caught my eye. Michael and I are both fond of leeks, and I put mushrooms in everything possible, so we just had to try her Mushroom and Leek Bread Pudding. Chick here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/mushroom-and-leek-bread-pudding.html  for a link to the recipe.
Meatless Monday was a take on Tortellini Primavera. What I really did was clean out the produce drawer.  Mushrooms, red bell peppers, and zucchini were stir-fried and married to store bought tortellini in Homemade Marinara Sauce. I added a House Salad and a couple of Easy Yeast Rolls from the freezer and we dined very well with very little effort.
Tuesday we were back to ham and Sunday dinner’s leftovers, nothing fancy here.  I did take the opportunity that evening to divide up the leftover ham into designated portions for sandwiches and future meals.  The bone and smaller pieces of meat went into a big pot of Bean and Ham Soup. That soup recipe has been in my family for as long as I can remember and the soup has never changed. In fact, it was never even written down until I documented it for you. My father was a child of the Great Depression and he always made it for us. I do not know who taught it to him, but the soup makes use of every last scrap of that ham and is utterly delicious comfort food.
By Thursday it was time to move on to something else, so I once again turned to the freezer. Grilled Italian Meatloaf with Tangy Sauce was a welcome change from all that ham. I did have to “grill” slices indoors on a grill pan, but who’s complaining?

We finished out the week with a copycat recipe for Taco Salad Deluxe that I order at one of the Mexican restaurants that we frequently visit. It’s simply strips of chicken sprinkled with fajita style seasonings and grilled stove top with broccoli, yellow squash, and zucchini. All that is served in a baked Flour Tortilla Bowl,  with Michael’s Queso Dip  and Salsa Rice served on the side.
Well, it’s time to get all those cookie recipes together. After I tally all the ingredients I’ll have to set a time line. Some of those cookies can be baked ahead and frozen, for some I can freeze the unbaked dough, and some will have to wait till the last minute all together. We’ll see. No matter what, I’ll be busy!
Be thankful for what life give you.

I know, it’s just the beginning of November,but for me it’s already turkey time. I start early. I have this thing about cooking turkey dishes with chicken broth. I just can’t do it. It’s all wrong! Turkey dressing and gravy must be made with turkey broth, not chicken broth.  You cannot create all of the broth you need just by boiling that packet of giblets that come with a turkey, and if you prefer to cook just a turkey breast rather that the whole bird you’re really in trouble. I solve the problem by roasting a small turkey breast or turkey in early November and using that to produce the broth called for in all my recipes.  Turkeys should go on sale soon.
It’s planning time, too. I take the first week in November to gather together my recipes. I then make a list of all the ingredients and divide that list into two pages. One page is for pantry items, and the other for fresh. I can check off the pantry items and watch the sale ads to purchase any I might be missing well in advance. I try to shop for the fresh foods on the Monday before the big day. That Monday is the last day I can handle the holiday crowds, and since I try to get most of the cooking or at least the prep work done by Wednesday, the food is perfectly fresh enough when purchased Monday. I also make sure to assign serving dishes and utensils for each recipe so I’m not scrambling around looking for bowls at the last minute. Oh, and I also have to make sure there will be room in the oven or a slow cooker for each dish as well. There’s a lot to think about!

Meanwhile, I have our regular dinners to prepare.
Sunday I couldn’t pass up a deal on chuck roast at $2.99 a pound. I fought a hard battle with myself not to over buy on that, but I won. Part of the beef I did allow myself to purchase went into a batch of Company Beef Stew served in Mashed Potato Bowls.  The beef was unbelievable tender.  I had to resist stirring the pot too often so the meat didn’t fall apart.  This recipe eliminates potatoes in the stew itself, which can tend to get grainy, but there is plenty of rich gravy to fill those potato bowls.
This busy time of year I generally turn to the convenience of soups and stews, fall fare that you can cook once and serve again, then still have some to freeze for another day. Now Alabama’s weather is trying to thwart my efforts. Our traditional Halloween dinner has always been a big pot of Chili, easy for the kids to eat before going out for all that candy. Monday afternoon we hit an all time high temperature of 89 degrees, not exactly Chili weather. Well, we ate Chili anyway. Not the Very Veggie Chili I had planned, but good old ground beef and bean chili. It wouldn’t have seemed like Halloween without it.

Tuesday’s dinner came from the freezer with the help of some pizza dough purchased in the grocery store deli department. I had frozen Sausage and Ricotta Calzone filling the last time I made Fresh Ricotta Cheese, and my stock of frozen Homemade Marinara Sauce is still holding out. You need marinara for dipping those calzones.
The rest of the week was pretty boring, but perfectly satisfying, eating leftover stew and chili. The only variation was Friday’s Freezer Food, Clam Chowder. With all those soups and stews it’s a good thing we have air conditioning!
Be thankful for what life gives you.

As I write this, it is 5 PM and the thermometer on the back porch registers 91 degrees! That’s in the shade, too. Personally, I’m a warm weather girl and I’m not complaining, not even a bit, but this weather is kind of messing with my menu rotation. Beef stew at ninety degrees is something of a disconnect, but that’s what we are going to have. It’s in the oven heating up the kitchen now.
This past Sunday’s pork roast was some kind of failure. I rubbed down a couple of pork tenderloins according to the recipe, but when I retrieved them at dinnertime the pork had turned a very unappetizing shade of “don’t cook me”. Although the package was within date and the pork didn’t have an off odor when I opened it, I chose to heed the warning, and the tenderloins went into the trash. Fortunately, pork chops cook quickly, even from the frozen state! Mashed potatoes are the mandatory side, just waiting for a green veggie to fill out the plate.

Vegan Red Beans and Rice are a staple for Meatless Monday. The recipe makes quite a bit, and since there are only two of us for dinner, I almost always freeze some. When I have no better plan, red beans and rice fills the Meatless Monday menu.
New York strip steaks were on sale this week and they are the cut of choice for my Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry. Just one steak is perfect for two servings. Broccoli crowns were on sale as well, so Tuesday’s dinner was a welcomed economy.  Besides being easy on the wallet, beef and broccoli is easy on the waist line , too, and I just love it.  Come to think of it, with all that going for it, why don’t I make that homemade version of Chinese take out more often?

Wednesday it was back to chicken. (Cluck, cluck!)  This time Chicken Rosa Maria. I didn’t realize it until I started looking at the photos, but that recipe is very similar to the Spinach and Mushroom Smothered Chicken I fixed not long ago. Gosh, I’m in a rut and didn’t even realize it!  Well, that doesn’t really matter because we enjoyed our dinner and that’s what counts.
It’s probably a good thing that Wednesday’s chicken was relatively healthy, because Thursday we tipped the scale the other way for sure! We went to Kelton’s last fall baseball game and that required a quick and early dinner of our own fast food. Chili Dogs were the simple solution.  We like to dress our dogs up with a little chopped onion and grated cheese, followed by a breath mint chaser.

I’m still missing the beach, and Friday’s supper just couldn’t compete with our dinners there. Artichoke, Shrimp, and Mushroom Casserole doesn’t even pretend to be beach food, so it was perfect for this week. Not every store carries the frozen artichoke hearts that are essential for this recipe. I wouldn’t want to try to start with whole artichokes, so if you want to try this recipe be sure to look for the frozen artichokes first.  This recipe calls for a quarter cup of dry sherry and Michael though that flavor was too pronounced.  I must say I agree, although I don’t recall having gotten the same impression the last time I prepared this recipe.  Next time I may reduce the amount of sherry or just use my regular white wine instead.  We’ll see.  That’s the thing about recipes…they’re just a guide line. Cook the way you like and make each recipe your own.
Be thankful for what life gives you.

Ok, sometimes it’s best to flat out lie!  Never publicize when you’ll be out of town.  I couldn’t tell you all what was really on the menu last week could I?  Now that we’re home I can admit it, though.  I didn’t cook anything at all.  We were on the Gulf Coast for the annual Shrimp Fest celebration, gorging on all that wonderful Alabama seafood.  It doesn’t get much better than that, at least not for me!

Although the emphasis at Shrimp Fest is obviously on the shrimp, our bench mark when judging Gulf Coast seafood restaurants is always the fried crab claws. These are a delicacy that might be hard to explain to those of you who have never experienced them. The claw of the blue crab is shelled, then battered and fried. To eat one, you must drag the claw through your front teeth, peeling the succulent flesh away from a slim piece of cartilage in the center. It’s a quickly acquired skill! Another quickly acquired skill is the area’s custom of table mixed cocktail sauce. Instead of bottles of cocktail sauce being provided at each table you are provided with small containers of grated horseradish, fresh lemon wedges, ketchup, and other condiments with which to mix your own cocktail sauce as mild or spicy as you like. It’s always fun to see the perplexed looks on the faces of tourists who are new to this practice.
Oh well, Monday was back to Huntsville and back to reality. After Michael had treated me to such a marvelous vacation I couldn’t ask him to observe Meatless Monday. Meatless is not his favorite way to do dinner, although he doesn’t complain as long as we don’t do it too often. Spinach and Mushroom Smothered Chicken is much more appealing to him though. This dish is grilled and fairly high on the healthy scale except for the fact that I pile on the provolone cheese. Cheese is my own personal weakness.

Those of you who follow this blog might remember that a few weeks ago I managed to totally torch a pot roast! I still haven’t figured out how I did that, but I’m not one to easily accept defeat. Tuesday I repeated that exact same recipe for Mississippi Roast and it turned out just as it should. Mississippi Roast is a recipe that’s been circulating on the internet lately. Who ever came up with it is a genius. It may be the juices in the pepperoncini peppers that do the trick, but you can use the cheapest, toughest cut of beef in the meat case and this recipe transform it into a roast so tender you can cut it with your fork.  I intended Wednesday’s dinner to be Drippy French Dip Sandwiches made with the leftovers, but we had so many leftover mashed potatoes, gravy, and other sides that we forgot that sandwich idea and just had the same meal a second night. Sometimes you just can’t mess with success.
Thursday we were back in the chicken rut with Chicken Cobbler, a variation on chicken pot pie that I haven’t fixed in a while.  That afternoon I was working on my blog photos and decided I needed a fresh photo of paper plates.  I decided to cut up a poblano pepper for the photo. So as not to waste it, that pepper wound up in the cobbler. That one little accidental addition pulled the Chicken Cobbler out of its rut. The poblano was not at all spicy, but rather just a subtle back note that elevated the cobbler from the mundane. Accidents happen, and not always for the worse!

After all that Gulf Coast seafood, Fishy Friday just couldn’t compete, and didn’t even try. All I did was pull some Clam Chowder out of the freezer. I have to admit that was pretty darned boring! At least that contributed to my clear out the freezer project, but not by much.
Well, as usual, this post is late. I find myself pulled in so many directions these days! Got to go help Michael go hang a new storm door and then figure out what’s for supper this week, so I hope to get back to you soon.
Whoops! I forgot! I promised more apple recipes, so here you go…
Apple-Pecan Ricotta Cheesecake is a personal favorite, since I could eat cheesecake all day long, and I don’t particularly care for sweets.  This recipe is much lighter in fat and calories than the traditional New York style cheesecake. I call it breakfast. It has all the food groups. (I have some mini spring form pans, so I can make three and freeze two. That works well for us.)

And while we’re having breakfast, how about some Autumn Apple Turnovers? Frozen puff pastry sheets make theses turnovers quick and easy to prepare. In fact, the hardest part is remembering to thaw the puff pastry.  Cinnamon in the glaze adds just a little something.
While you’re shopping for the frozen puff pastry you might as well pick up some phyllo sheets as well. Apple Phyllo Roll-ups freeze and bake easily and are great to keep on hand for when company pops in. You can have these little mini strudels with apples, raisins, and walnuts ready to serve almost as soon as the coffee is brewed.

Sweet Ricotta and Apple Tarts do take a little more effort than some of my recipes, but they are well worth it. The filling is cool, rich, and creamy, but not overly sweet. The purchased caramel topping provides the extra measure of sweetness, so that element remains within your control.
I guess that does it for now…
Be thankful for what life gives you.

It’s apple time again. Now I know that apple season lasts longer than most. Strawberries and blueberries are here and then they’re gone, so you better act quickly, but apples? They hang around a little longer, or do they? Well, the calendar will tell you they do, but don’t try to tell my cooking instinct that. When it’s apple time it’s time to get moving. No excuses. So here I go!

There are a couple of recipes that are a given each and every year when apple season rolls around. The first is my Apple Pie Filling. Each batch makes enough filling for four generously filled pies and freezes beautifully. A Dutch Apple Pie is always a welcome addition to the dessert table, no matter what time of year, especially when apples are no longer in season.

I also always make a slow cooker full of Apple Butter. Some gets canned in jars and some gets used in other recipes, such as my Apple Butter Swirl Bread, which was created completely by accident.  I was preparing a recipe of cinnamon rolls when I nearly dropped the log of loaded dough on the floor. I did manage to catch the dough before catastrophe struck, but decided it was best to bake the mangled mess as it was, rather than try to slice it.  Try toasting slices of this bread for breakfast and be sure to spread a little more apple butter on top.

These Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls were the intended recipe the day my swirl bread was created.  They are an extra gooey indulgence you don’t want to miss!  The recipe makes two pans of rolls, so you will have a choice to make.  You can either freeze one of the pans for later, or you can bless a friend or your co-workers with the other, thereby creating good will that will last for some time to come.  The choice is up to you!
As wonderful as apple season is, and as much as I enjoy all my apple recipes, (there are more apple recipes to come), real food is a necessity, as well. When I’m covered up with apple peels though, I do try to keep things simple. One way I do that is to share the work with Michael. Shhh, don’t tell!
Anytime rib eye steaks go on sale Michael knows he’s in trouble. I don’t often crave a steak, but that is one cut of beef I can’t resist, and Michael can grill any steak to perfection every time. Sunday’s dinner fit right in with that plan…Grilled Rib Eye Steaks.
Meatless Monday was pretty simple too, a variation of Pork Fried Rice . Since it was supposed to be meatless, I left out the pork and added edamame, and for fun I used half brown rice and half quinoa. I just can’t persuade Michael to enjoy quinoa. The little squiggles in the grain seem to bother him. I don’t know if he’ll ever get over that either, but he eats it anyway. He knows I only serve two things on the menu – Take it or Leave it.  Hunger wins every time.

Tuesday’s dinner couldn’t have been easier, either. It came straight out of the freezer. Cauliflower Baked Shells and Cheese with Ham freezes really well and is one of my favorite ways to use that baked ham that keeps on giving. There is some pasta in the dish, but there is quite a bit of chopped cauliflower as well, so this dish is pretty well balanced and you can eat a generous portion with out feeling any remorse. That’s my kind of meal.
Wednesday we splurged and went to Michael’s favorite restaurant, Rosie’s Mexican Cantina. I’ve often wondered why Michael is so comfortable with Mexican food until one day it came to me. When you think about it, Mexican and Southern cuisines have  something in common. Namely, beans and rice. If pinto beans were served in one form or another at every meal, Michael couldn’t be happier. That’s what he was brought up on.
Thursday’s dinner had to be quick and easy so that we could attend our middle grandson, Kelton’s, baseball game. What I would call Corn Chip Chili Pie is about as close to junkfood as it gets around here. I just browned up a pound of ground beef with some onion, bell pepper, and garlic, seasoned it with a little taco seasoning, and threw in a can of chili beans. We ate this concoction over corn chips and topped the mess off with grated cheddar, lettuce, and tomatoes. Oh, and a dollop of sour cream. Maybe not so good for you, but it sure did taste good, so who’s telling?

We wound up the week on a comfort food note with a big warm bowl of Alabama Coast Gumbo. That was the last container of gumbo that I had stashed in the freezer. Now, as much as I have talked about emptying out my freezers, I’m fighting a very strong compulsion to make a new batch to replenish it!
Be thankful for what life gives you.

My computer Died! It didn’t just fizzle, it flat out died. No ifs, ands, or buts, and I couldn’t do a thing about it. Now I’m back with my new best friend, so let’s catch up. Quite a bit has happened.
For the first time ever for as long as I’ve been cooking I burned a pot roast, and I have absolutely no idea how it happened. That poor roast wasn’t just a little over done, it was crispy black all the way through!  The only thing I did differently was use a slow oven (300°) instead of the crock pot. Now, I’ve baked plenty of pot roasts this way in the past. Who knew?  It’s a good thing we had plenty of veggies cooked to go along side the roast that night. We just had a veggie dinner.
But I’m Getting ahead of myself…by a whole week.
Although you can’t tell by looking at the thermometer on the back porch which is still registering in the high 90’s, I’m starting to move into my fall menu items. One of my favorites is My Best Meatloaf. With a blend of beef and pork, this meatloaf is easy to prepare and turns out exactly the same each and every time. It’s my go to recipe for meatloaf, and while it makes more than I need for dinner for two, I go ahead an bake the whole thing rather than freezing half. I have plans for those leftovers.

The one drawback to meatloaf is that it’s kind of hard to make gravy if you like mashed potatoes along side. One way around that is to serve Mac and Cheese in a Bacon Bowl instead. The Bacon Bowls take a little patience, but they sure are fun, especially if there are kids around. None of the grandchildren were here this time, but I’m going to try to remember to fix these for them the next time they come. (Note to self: I think thick cut bacon might work better.)
Meatless Monday was perhaps my favorite meal of the week. I’m drawing a blank on where the recipe came from, it wasn’t mine, but we had Jalapeno Popper Quesadillas.  Even though these aren’t diet food by any stretch of the imagination, I’ll be sure to prepare them again!  I can make up for all those cheesy calories somewhere else.  Maybe the heat in the peppers will burn a few of the calories off, do you think?  I did use spinach tortillas and we ate a big House Salad first, as well as Salsa Rice and Refried Beans on the side.

My Yankee relatives would think I have lost it if they saw me happily buying  pork neck bones on sale last week for 99 cents a pound. Yes, I said neck bones. You think I’m crazy, too, right? Well, those bones make the most flavorful broth. You use chicken broth and beef broth all the time. Why not pork broth? As a bonus, the neck bones yield quite a bit of meat that can be used to flavor up beans and such. OK, confession number two: I guess I should have saved those tidbits of pork for the pinto beans, but no. I tried to get creative. Pork Ravioli anyone? Don’t try this at home! As Michael said, those ravioli tasted dead! Maybe it was the spice blend, but that idea went straight to the trash. You can’t win them all. At least I have some excellent pork broth in the freezer.
Friday’s dinner was one I haven’t shared with you before, Pork Rind Crusted Sea Scallops. This dish uses a decidedly Southern ingredient, fried pork skins, as a breading before the scallops are pan fried in just a bit of butter and oil. Using the pork rinds adds a very subtle pork flavor that doesn’t overpower the sweetness of the scallops in the way bacon or prosciutto does.

Another successful addition to our selection of football food was Bacon and Two Onion Ricotta Cheesecake. Since it is usually just Michael and I watching the Alabama football games, I divide this recipe into three portions and freeze two for future dates. We do enjoy watching the games by ourselves without interruption.  That way we can concentrate on the game.  Does this make us anti-social or just fanatical? Hmmm, I’ll have to think about that.
Be thankful for what life gives you.

Roll Tide! On Saturday The University of Alabama won its first football game of the year. That’s the way to finish off the summer and kick off the football season. It goes without saying that football games call for football food, so let me start the weekend there.
Before any Alabama football game, it’s our family tradition to make the trek to Star Market for some very special pizzas. There used to be a restaurant here in town called Terry’s Pizza. After a number of years, the restaurant closed its’ doors and Star Market bought the pizza oven, the original recipes, and convinced one of the cooks, Ben, to go along to supervise the pizza production. Terry’s Pizza may no longer be in a sit-down restaurant, but the original pizza recipe from 1959 still survives.  We only go there for take home pizza during football season, but the minute we walk through the door, even on the first game day of the year, a big smile lights up Ben’s face. He scurries to the end of the counter and comes back with Michael’s special pizza, one that Ben has prepared to order just for him. We haven’t even called in that pizza order. Ben just knows.
Of course, one can’t watch a football game on pizza alone. Some of the football food, like the pizza, is the same for every single game.  Some of the snacks change, game to game, on a whim, but one that is on its way to becoming a new tradition is Cajun Boiled Peanuts. Up until now, I’ve made them in a slow cooker, but this year I tried making the peanuts in my new electric pressure cooker. I think the slow cooker version has a deeper flavor, but the pressure cooker version is much easier. Take your pick, it’s just a matter of how much time you have to spend in preparation.

Another munchie that’s closing in fast on the menu of traditional football foods is Clam Dip. This simple dip is surprisingly easy to throw together using canned clams, but it’s a refreshing change from the good old onion dip that we’ve eaten by the bucket full for years.  I like to serve fresh veggies for dipping as well as the usual potato chips, but if I left those chips out I’d be in big trouble!

Sunday I did no cooking at all! Yep, you heard me right. We had some fresh fruit and yogurt to go with Raspberry Almond Mini-Muffins and some of the Best Banana Bread for a light breakfast, but there was no time for cooking.  We gathered up all the grandchildren, including Kaij and Kelton, and headed to Chattanooga for a visit to the Chattanooga Aquarium. It was quite a day.  I would imagine that Labor Day weekend  would be one of the busiest tourist weekends of the year and probably a poor choice for a visit, but The Aquarium does an excellent job of crowd management, and we had no problems at all.  Dinner was another story, however.  Michael and I go Chattanooga fairly often, since it is only a little over an hour away, and we usually eat at Big River Grill.  In fact, I have a couple of recipes that I have patterned after theirs.  We have never before been disappointed in the food or service, but this time was the exception.  Both were below par.  In their defense, the manager did try to make up for the problems by taking a portion off of our bill, and we will go back again.  Anyone can have a bad day.
Monday wasn’t meatless, it was Labor Day! The usual burgers and such!
Tuesday it was back to playing with my new potato ricer and refining my recipe for Potato and Ricotta Gnocchi. It took me all darned day! I learned a couple of lessons. First, don’t let the potatoes get too cold before you try to rice them. You might find Jimmy Hoffa buried under that concrete. Second, as written that recipe makes enough to feed the whole Russian army. Next time I’ll either cut the recipe in half or invite half the neighborhood in to share. We still had more than we could eat Wednesday night as well. More for the freezer, darn it! The freezer contents are still going the wrong way. I’ll never get it cleaned out.

Thursday was nothing exciting, just Not So Sloppy Joes, but at least they did come OUT of the freezer.
And that brings me back to another Friday and a new recipe, Grilled Lime-Soy Tuna. Sorry, no picture, but I guess when you’ve seen one piece of grilled tuna, you’ve seen them all. Try this recipe some time soon. I think it’s my new favorite. Michael’s not big on fish dishes, but he liked this one, too. As a bonus, it’s so low-cal it’s almost sinful. Fast, tasty, low-cal, and good for you…who can beat that?
Be thankful for what life gives you.