Searching...

...For my camera! I have a couple posts that I need to write and post, but can't really do it until I upload a bunch of pictures. Okay, technically I could write them, but it'll be much more interesting with pictures. Now I know that camera's around here somewhere...

Well, when I find it I'll put up a nice recipe or two. But right now it's late and I really should get to bed. I just thought I'd pop in and let everyone know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth or anything. :-)

Homemade Salad Dressing

I love salad dressing. Ranch and Italian will always be favorites of course, but I also really enjoy "fancy" dressings. When they go on sale for super cheap we usually pick up several varieties of vinaigrettes and creamy dressings - red pepper, balsamic, bacon ranch, avocado, Greek, Asian sesame, creamy Italian - my mouth is watering.

But these sale-and-stock situations are pretty rare for us. So what do I do when we run out of all our fun salad dressings and I want to have a delicious salad? I make my own salad dressing, of course!


This particular recipe was originally titled Buttermilk & Onion Salad Dressing, but I didn't have buttermilk powder or dried minced onion. So this is basically just a yummy, creamy dressing without a real name.

Homemade Salad Dressing
1/2 cup dry milk powder (or use dry buttermilk powder)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried minced onion (if you've got it, use it)
1 tsp. monosodium glutamate (optional, I didn't add this)
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. dried parsley leaves (yikes, we're out. I substituted Italian seasoning)
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
2 cups mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice (omit if you're using buttermilk powder)
1 cup water

In a large bow, combine all dry ingredients. Add mayonnaise, lemon juice, and water, and blend thoroughly with a wire whisk. Pour into a 1-quart container with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate overnight (skipped this step, we used it right away!). Makes about 3 cups.

This makes a somewhat thin dressing. If you prefer thicker dressing, start with about half the amount of water and add more until you get the desired consistency.

I only made a half batch of this, because we really didn't need a full 3 cups of dressing. Then I served it over a salad made of pasta, green leaf lettuce, tomato, carrot, olives, pepperoni, and Colby Jack cheese. Delicious!

Grandma's Chili-Cheese Casserole

A few years ago, my paternal grandmother gave me (as well as many of her other granddaughters) a folder containing some of her favorite recipes. This is one of them. It's super simple, and takes only minutes to put together. Like many casseroles, it's not exactly the prettiest thing in the world, but it's yummy.



Here is the recipe exactly as Grandma wrote it.

Chili-Cheese Casserole

Mix together 1 large can chili con carne w/beans and 2 cans cream of mushroom soup. Layer in casserole with large flour tortillas and grated cheese, ending with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.


When I made this, I only needed a little bit. Grandma would make this large enough to feed a crowd, but I only had my little family to feed. So I used one regular-sized can of chili and one can of soup, and layered the ingredients in a 9-inch round cake pan, then cooked it for 20 minutes. The soft-taco size tortillas were the perfect size to fit in my cake pan.

Buttercream Syrup

Here's another delicious and unique pancake syrup. We've been having cranberry syrup almost every time we have pancakes, ever since Jeff came up with it. I still love it, but I was starting to get cranberry-ed out. Time to try something new!

I came across this recipe for Buttercream Syrup a while back, and thought that it looked absolutely delicious. After all, a recipe with nothing but butter, sugar, evaporated milk, and a bit of vanilla has to be good, right? So when Jeff made chocolate chip pancakes this morning, I knew it was the perfect time to try it out.

I admit that my pictures of this are not nearly as lovely as the pictures on Jamie's post with the original recipe. But I was in a hurry to get the picture-taking over with, and dig in!


Buttercream Syrup
1 stick butter (1/2 C)
1 cup sugar
1/2-3/4 can evaporated milk (can be substituted with buttermilk for a different, yet yummy taste)
1 tsp vanilla

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the sugar slowly and stirring until it is creamy and thick.

Add the milk a little at a time while stirring. Add the vanilla and let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes while it thickens further.


Rich? Check. Buttery? Check. Delicious? Check. Diet? .... Not so much. :-)

Hodge-Podge Pudding

I made a realization the other day - I have yet to ever make bread pudding using actual yeast bread. I've made it with Irish soda bread, with banana bread, and even with biscuits. And every time, it's been really yummy!

Having already done quite a bit of experimenting with the basic bread pudding recipe, I decided to branch out even further and see what else I could use to make a delicious, custardy pudding. This actually came about because I wanted to make biscuit pudding, but found out after mixing up the custard that I didn't have enough biscuits. What to do?

At that point, I went ahead and tossed in the biscuits, then started improvising, tossing in a bit of this and a bit of that. Leftover muffin, graham crackers, cereal crumbs, all were added with the hope that the pudding would at least be edible.

Turns out, I needn't have worried. It was delicious! It had a wonderfully soft, custardy texture and a delightful combination of flavors. Thus Hodge-Podge Pudding was created. Here is a recipe/formula for making this fun pudding, which can be used for either breakfast or dessert. It utilizes foods that you have on hand, and need to use up, so it saves money while creatively using leftovers.


Hodge-Podge Pudding
2 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
5 cups assorted grain foods (at least 2-3 cups should be bread-like: bread, biscuits, waffles, pancakes, muffins, etc. Fill in the rest with stuff like cold cereal, leftover cooked cereal, leftover cooked rice, crackers, etc.)

Heat oven to 350. Grease a 1 1/2-qt. casserole.

Mix milk, sugar, cinnamon, and eggs in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in bread/grains. Pour into casserole.

Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from edge of casserole comes out clean.


I later made another batch of this hodge-podge pudding (pictured above), this time using biscuits, waffles, saltines, and cereal crumbs, and baked it in a 9x13. It turned out really good.

To make this into a great dessert, try topping it with a dessert sauce as found in any of these recipes: cottage pudding, Woodford pudding, Irish soda bread pudding.

Lime Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce

Our Easter meal yesterday was so yummy. Jeff and I made Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing (last time we made it we did it in the crock pot, this time we baked it according to the original instructions, it's delicious either way!), Jeff's sister and her family brought homemade rolls and a relish tray with olives and other marinated goodness. It was all wonderfully tasty, but for me the crowning jewel was the dessert.


I'm a HUGE fan of cheesecakes, and this one was great. The cheesecake was rich but not too rich, and the flavors were light and fresh, perfect for springtime. I used this recipe from Southern Living, but used regular lime juice instead of Key lime.


Lime Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind (skipped this, Jeff hates any kind of citrus rind)
1/2 cup lime juice
Strawberry Sauce
1 1/4 cups fresh strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind (substituted lime juice)

Stir together first 3 ingredients, and firmly press on bottom and 1 inch up sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan.

Bake at 350° for 8 minutes; cool.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add 1 1/4 cups sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in sour cream, rind, and juice. Pour batter into crust.

Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 5 minutes; turn oven off. Partially open oven door; let stand in oven 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately run a knife around edge of pan, releasing sides.

Cool completely in pan on a wire rack; cover and chill 8 hours.

Just before serving, make strawberry sauce - process all sauce ingredients in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Spoon sauce over each slice.

Yummmmmm......

Skillet Pizza

I found this recipe in an old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I got at the thrift store a long time ago. I had to adjust it quite a bit, because it called for a pizza mix, which included a crust mix, sauce packet, and cheese. I just made my own crust, used some spaghetti sauce, and my own cheese. Really, it was the concept of the recipe that got my attention. We love making pizza, and it's so fun to find new ways to do it. This pizza, cooked in a skillet on the stove, turned out really good, much better than I was expecting. Crispy crust, gooey melty cheese. The only downside is that it only made 4 servings. Next time I'll double the recipe and have two skillets of pizza going at once - when I make pizza I like there to be a lot of it!


Skillet Pizza
1 1/4 tsp. yeast
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. warm water
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce (or add Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder to 1/2 cup tomato sauce)
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (preferably mozzarella, but I used cheddar and Monterey Jack because we're out of mozzarella)
Toppings of choice - I used salami

To make crust, combine yeast, warm water, oil, salt, and flour. Knead for a few minutes until smooth. Spread in a cold, greased, 10-inch skillet, pressing onto bottom and a bit up the sides. Cook for 7 minutes over medium-low heat with lid ajar.

Remove lid and spread with sauce, cheese, and desired toppings. Cook for 15 minutes with lid ajar. Remove lid and cook 7 minutes more.

Loosen crust from pan and slide pizza out onto a plate. Slice and serve!