Gourmet Food on a Budget — Ever Forward, Ever Flavorful
Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Fudge is a great treat at any time of year. You may find yourself with extra candy canes at Christmas or be looking for a fun gift for Valentine’s Day. Look no further!
The other day, I had a hankering for chocolate chip cookies, but I wanted something a little different. Looking in my pantry, I spied a jar of Jiff Creamy Peanut Butter. Yes, I am a choosy mother, and I do choose Jiff. Believe it or not, with as much baking as I have done, I’ve never made peanut butter cookies, so I had to go to Big Oven and find a recipe. I found one that looked like what I wanted to make, got Spane, and got started.
Now that we have a Nook HD tablet, I take it into the kitchen with me so I can look at my recipe without having to lug the computer in there. All I do is put the Nook in a clear plastic bag, and set it up against the wall. I think this is much better than paying over $300.00 for a dedicated kitchen tablet, my Nook was under $200.00. I can swipe the Nook through the plastic, and when I was making Christmas dinner, and trying to inject a turkey, then liquid exploded and got all over Spane and the Nook. Neither Spane nor the Nook was injured in any way.
Szechuan Orange Pork Loin Roast is spicy, tender, and moist. It’s very easy to prepare and makes a great presentation. It will be the star of your Chinese-inspired meal.
Szechuan Green Beans were featured at Harvest Inn in Glendale, now, sadly closed, but the recipe still lives in my kitchen.
Say “Hell NO!” to GMO Box Tops for Education. General Mills spends millions of dollars to prevent labeling of processed, GMO foods.
As the Christmas Holiday rapidly approaches, it’s time to get into the kitchen and make some Christmas memories. I have been making fudge for Christmas presents for years, but this time, I wanted to do something a little different. Spane really likes Eggnog, and I do, too. We were invited to a potluck Christmas party at Entrepreneurs and Professions, and I decided to make Jambalaya, Hot Dogs with Bacon appetizers, and wow everyone with the Eggnog Fudge.
I look forward to this day every year. I only get to have this sandwich once a year, because I only have the ingredients once a year. Yes, I could go out and purchase them at other times, and I could make the whole thing so I could have the leftovers at other times of the year, but it wouldn’t be the same. No, it just wouldn’t be the same.
So, it’s just the two of us. We have a lot to be thankful for today. As a work-at-home Mom, I’ve been busy as a one-armed paper-hanger. That’s great for my pocketbook, but for spending time with my wonderful son, not so good. Today, we’re going to cook together, play the Monopoly game we started last night (he’s winning), watch a movie, enjoy our meal, and just enjoy our time together.
When I went to the market looking for our feast, I had a bit of a problem. Since it is just going to be the two of us, I couldn’t see the sense in purchasing a whole turkey, it’s just too much food. All I’m concerned with is The Sandwich the next day. I don’t want to have to eat leftover turkey until I start gobbling. I looked at a breast because it’s smaller, but neither one of us likes breast meat, and I wanted something we both like. I said to Spane, “Gee, I wish turkeys came with just thighs and wings!” He said, “Mom, don’t they have parts? Why not just get parts?” I love my son! He is so smart! Sure enough, there was a nice package with two large thighs, and those were the ones I took home. Hurray! We’re having stuffed turkey thighs in the Nesco.
I have been making these Cheesy Potatoes for the holidays for quite a long time, and even made it for Ascencia when I was Guest Chef at Mother’s Day. I have pictures of it, but not of its preparation. So, I am putting it in again, and it’s changed just a little bit, for the better, of course.
I don’t usually use canned soup, but this is the exception. The original recipe calls for Cream of Mushroom soup, but Cream of Potato soup is much better. The original recipe also calls for hashed brown potatoes, but, I think the Southern cut frozen potatoes are better as well.
This is a very simple dish to make, and I always get raves when I make it. It makes a lot, and can easily be doubled or even tripled if you have a lot of people to feed.
I don’t know why people insist on buying the cranberry sauce in the can. Making cranberry sauce from scratch is almost as easy as opening the can. In some cases, when your can opener refuses to play well with the can, it’s even easier! Sugar, cranberries and water, how simple is that? In addition, you get the fun of listening to the berries as they pop like popcorn. How cool is that?
Ah, but I can’t leave well enough alone. I have to make something special for Thanksgiving, so I’m going to doll my cranberry sauce up, put it into a ring mold, and have a lovely presentation.
When I was a little girl, going to my Uncle Bob’s house for Thanksgiving, he made the most wonderful cranberry ring with cream cheese. I loved it but never got the recipe. When I asked him about it, he said he hadn’t made it in so many years he had forgotten how to make it and never wrote it down. I’ve looked all over the Internet, but, alas no joy. So, today, I’m going to attempt to make a similar side dish. Wish me luck!