An Easy Dessert - Brownies a la Mode

One of my family's favorite desserts is Brownies a la Mode.

Just as dinner is coming together I preheat the oven and make a quick batch of brownies (yes from the box). I throw it in the oven and it bakes while we eat. If I time it right the brownies come out of the oven just as we are finishing dinner and they cool while we clean up the dishes. When the dishes are in the dishwasher the brownies are still warm but not hot. We slice them with a plastic knife (because they don't stick to plastic) and I place a brownie in the bowl and scoop ice cream on top. Because the brownies are still warm the ice cream begins to melt and get all gooie! We eat them right away.

These taste like the brownie desserts you get from a restaurant and they are quite a treat! For left overs, put the brownie in a bowl and microwave it for 20-30 seconds and then top with ice cream. You can get the same effect all over again!!!

It is easy to plan for a great dessert if you have a few things handy all the time. I always have on hand a brownie mix, a yellow cake mix, ice cream (of any flavor), and a can of fruit. When fixing dinner just take an extra minute to think about dessert and your family will feel special.

Pork Chops

Tonight is Pork Chops on the Grill. We grill out all year long. Even in the winter my husband fires up the grill and we grill out.

Easy pork chop marinade:

1 cup Zesty Italian Salad Dressing! That is it! How easy is that? We marinade chicken, pork and shrimp in it. Let it sit for about 30 minutes, flipping the meat at least once. Then grill.

How do we get the nice criss cross grill marks on our meat? My husband loves having the grill marks and here is how he does it. He lets the grill get nice and hot. Then he places the meat on the grill, lets it sit there for 3-4 minutes and then takes the spatula and turns the meat clockwise a quarter of a turn on the same side. Then he lets it cook another 3-4 minutes and then turns the meat to the other side to cook. Lets it sit 3-4 minutes and the turns it clockwise a quarter of a turn and lets it sit another 3-4 minutes until done. Many people like to move and turn their meat on the grill often. This makes the meat dry and tough. You should only flip your meat once and you can turn the meat a quarter of a turn to make the grill marks. Other than that don't touch the meat while grilling.

Another big no no for grilling is to smoosh the hamburgers with the spatula. This dries them out because all the juices leak out when you are smooshing. Never smoosh!!

Happy grilling tonight.

Chicken Kiev

I am thinking about this delectable dish for tonight's dinner.

This is how I will make it.

3 boneless chicken breasts
3 TBS butter softened
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp parsley
Italian Bread Crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
3-4 TBS vegetable oil

Pound the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap.
mix the butter, garlic powder, parsley, and salt and pepper together and place in freezer to harden. When the butter has hardened, place a TBS in the center of the pounded chicken breast and roll it up. Stick a toothpick in the chicken to keep it rolled up.
Coat in eggs and cover in bread crumbs.
Fry in a pan on medium high heat in vegetable oil until done (about 5-7 minutes) turning once or twice.

I will serve this with fresh squash and onions, sauted, corn on the cob and rice. Yum.

What are you cooking? Share a recipe with me!!

Rice Krispies Treats

Today, we made Rice Krispies Treats, Caroline and I did. This is something that is easy and my 5 year old help.

Rice Krispies Treats (recipe from the box)

3 TBS butter or margarine

10 oz marshmallows

6 cups Rice Krispies

1. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan on low heat.

2. Add the marshmallows and and continue to melt until the marshmallows and the butter are smooth.

3. Add the Rice Krispies and mix until all are coated.

4. Dump into a 9x13x2 greased casserole dish (grease with Pam Cooking Spray). Press with a spatula or wax paper until the mixture is flat.

5. Let cool completely and cut with a plastic knife (it doesn't stick).

Sometimes we press chocolate chips, m+m's, or sprinkles on top. For other variation, add a few drops of food coloring to the melted marshmallows and they become festive for Christmas, Halloween, or Easter.

The Waffle Sandwich

I don't really remember when this food luxury was created or by whom, but in our family we have what we call a "waffle sandwich". It consists of two store-bought frozen waffles, toasted, butter and powdered sugar. You toast the waffles and then when the come out of the toaster oven piping hot you spread butter on both waffles then put powdered sugar on one and put the other waffle on top (butter side in). Voila! A waffle sandwich. folded in a paper towel you can take these treasures on the go. I start out many a morning with the waffle sandwich and my cup of coffee on the way to work. It is not at all healthy but it does give you a bit of a sugar rush and along with the coffee you are well on your way to a drug induced buzz by the time you hit the office, or in my case the classroom.

No wonder my first period students think I am a bit of a nut...

Try it sometime!

Fresh Vegetables

There is nothing better than fresh, just picked vegetables when eating. I love the fact that I have tomatoes, green beans and peas right at my doorstep! Last night I picked a huge, ripe tomato and sliced it up and served it for dinner. Along with the squash casserole and tomatoes we had fresh green beans. Quickly picked and cooked! Nothing tastes as good as that.

This is a picture of my dinner plate last night!

A Family Favorite...Waffles!

On Saturday and Sunday mornings I make a big breakfast for the family. It usually consists of bacon or sausage, pancakes or waffles, and eggs if anyone is interested.

About a year ago I only made waffles from a mix out of a box. Everyone was happy with it except it was expensive and we rarely had any mix in the house. So I went searching for a good waffle recipe. I found one and I have modified it slightly so here it is.

Oh, if you love waffles and pancakes, it is a good idea to start making Buttermilk a staple in the house if it already isn't. Since I started making these from scratch we aren't without buttermilk in the house.

Whitney's Waffles (like the way that flows off the tongue?)

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 TBS baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
1 TBS sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups buttermilk (more or less as desired)

1. Mix all dry ingredients together.

2. Add eggs, oil, and buttermilk.

3. Stir until all dry ingredients are wet but do not overstir. The batter will be lumpy. If it seems too thick to you add just a bit more buttermilk to thin it out. It should be like pancake batter.

4. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. This lets it rise some. Do not stir it down.

5. Pour into a waffle iron and cook to your specifications.


For variation you can add fresh fruit and a bit of whipped cream and call it dessert!!



I always double the recipe and make extra. If I don't have neighborhood kids around to eat some then I freeze them in ziploc bags for later in the week. If I know I am going to freeze them I don't cook them as dark and I do when serving them fresh. My husband fixes the kids breakfast during the weekdays before school and they love having Mom's homemade frozen waffles over the store bought kind. He pops them in the micro to just thaw for 30 seconds and then toasts them in the toaster oven. Hot syrup and they taste just as fresh!

Grilled Pork, Squash Casserole

I opened the freezer and the first thing I saw were boneless pork chops. So that is what we are having for dinner. After they have thawed I will marinate them in a Ken's Caesar Salad Dressing. It gives them a bit of garlic and Parmesan cheese coating. We will grill them about 6 minutes on each side.

I will make a squash casserole with patty pan squash from our garden. You can use summer crookneck (yellow) or zucchini for this recipe as well. The recipe is below. I am thinking about having some fresh green beans from our garden too. A salad would be fun and some sliced tomatoes. I am going to forgo the salad, as I don't have any lettuce right now.

Squash Casserole:

Ingredients:
4 cups sliced patty pan squash
1/2 cup chopped onion
35 buttery round crackers, crushed
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place squash and onion in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in a small amount of water. Cover, and cook until squash is tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain well, and place in a large bowl.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together cracker crumbs and cheese. Stir half of the cracker mixture into the cooked squash and onions.
4. In a small bowl, mix together eggs and milk, then add to squash mixture. Stir in 1/4 cup melted butter, and season with salt and pepper. Spread into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cracker mixture, and dot with 2 tablespoons butter.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Corn Salad

I have decided to begin a second blog. I have had many people comment on my cooking. Yes, people other than my husband who raves about it often! So here on this blog I will post new recipes, tried and true recipes, and those that I have concocted myself.

I enjoy cooking, baking, and canning. We have a rather large garden where we grow lots of vegetables which I can or freeze for later.

I had added a Google Ads bar just in case you want to check out other places of interest pertaining to my entries. Click on any link.

So here is my first recipe. It is not an original and honestly, I haven't made it yet. My mother made it Saturday night as a side dish for dinner. We went to her house for dinner and my step-sister and her family were visiting too. There were 12 of us for dinner which included 6 children all under the age of 12. Most of the kids ate this and loved it also. We had tacos, fajitas, Mexican rice, corn bread, and this corn salad.

Here is the corn salad that I was talking about. It is soooo easy and super yummy!! Serve it cold!

Ingredients:

8 ears fresh corn (mom used left over corn on the cob)
1 tomato, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup Italian-style salad dressing

Directions:

Husk the corn and slice the kernels from the cob. In a large bowl, mix together the corn, tomato, zucchini, cucumber, onion and red bell pepper. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to coat. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour. If it tastes too "salad dressing-y" add a couple teaspoons of sugar to cut the acid.