Caramel Chex Mix

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WARNING!  You may want to triple this recipe – it has been known to be highly addictive!

Ingredients

6 cups Chex cereal – Use your favorite

1 stick butter

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 cup brown sugars

1 cup roasted peanuts

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Method

In a sauce pan melt the butter, add the brown sugar and corn syrup, stir and heat on medium-high until you see small bubbles forming.

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At this point, stir in the baking soda and remove the pan from the heat.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, mix the chex cereal and peanuts together.  Pour the hot mixture over the cereal.  DO NOT STIR.

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Place the bowl in the microwave for one minute.  Remove after one minute and stir to combine.  Put back in the microwave for another minute, take out and stir again.  Repeat one more time (3 times total).  Lay the mixture on wax paper – I use Super Parchment – which is a reusable teflon coated sheet similar to Silpat.  If using wax paper you may want to butter or spray with cooking spray to avoid sticking.

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Let them cool for about 20 minutes or so and then store in a covered container.  Enjoy!

The most delicious Zucchini Bread you’ll ever make (easy too)

My interest in cooking came when I was very young, I remember the day our neighbor June came over with a zucchini bread as a gift to our family, I think I was in the 6th grade.  At the time I thought it was the best thing I had ever tasted.  I had to have the recipe and she was happy to give it.  I couldn’t wait to try it and I’ve been making it ever since.  This bread is so moist with just the right amount of seasoning.  It’s great when zucchini are plentiful in the garden and you don’t know what to do with them.  Make a few to freeze and some to give away, you will be sure to make someone’s day!

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped nuts – optional (I like walnuts)

1 cup grated zucchini

Method

This recipe yields one loaf.  Preheat your oven to 375°.  Prepare your pans with butter and flour.  I use a food processor to chop my zucchini, but if you don’t have one, there are other methods.  You can use a box grater and grate it like you would cheese.  Or you can use a blender.  You will need to add water to get the zucchini moving, but then you will need to squeeze the water out after draining so your zucchini doesn’t retain the water.

Combine sugar and oil in mixing bowl, beat until combined.  Add the eggs and mix.  Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.  Mix well and then add the zucchini and nuts.  Pour into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes.  Enjoy!

Mexican Meatloaf

Who doesn’t love meatloaf?  There are so many different recipes for meatloaf, everyone has their own, everyone has their favorite.  I rarely make mine the same way because I like to keep improving on it or I just use what I have on hand.  I found myself at the store with a great sale on ground beef so brought it home and decided to create a new meatloaf recipe.  It was a big hit in our home, I just may have to make it again.  Hope you like it too!

Ingredients

2#’s ground beef (I used 93%)

Olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 jalepeno, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 – 14.5 oz. can Mexican stewed tomatoes, drained, reserve liquid, chop tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. chili powder (I happened to have Mexican chili powder, you can use what you have)

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Method

Preheat oven to 375°.  Heat a saute pan, once heated swirl 2-3 tbsp. of oil in the pan.  Saute the onions and peppers until almost soft, add garlic and continue cooking until all are soft, being careful not to burn the garlic.  Remove from heat.  Remove your rings and plan to get your hands dirty.  Place ground beef in a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients except the reserved tomato juice, combine well.  Form a loaf and place in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Place in oven, set your timer for 30 minutes.  While meatloaf is cooking, place the reserved juice into your saute pan and simmer, reducing it slightly.  Pull the meatloaf out after 30 minutes of cooking and pour the sauce over the meat.  Return to oven and complete cooking for a total of about 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 155°.

I ALWAYS serve meatloaf with mashed potatoes and creamed corn.  What do you serve?  Enjoy!

Joan Pope’s Caramel Corn

Back in the late 80′s I worked with a woman named Joan Pope.  She used to bring this caramel corn to work.  We always called it Joan Pope’s Caramel Corn, don’t know where it originated, but this is how I know it.  I just recently found the recipe and made it for a baseball kick-off party we hosted.  There was none left at the end of the night!  My friend who is on a gluten-free diet discovered she can eat it too!  Yay!  I’ll be making it again soon.

Caramel Corn

Preheat oven to 250°.

Corn pops

Ingredients

1 – 8 oz. bag of corn puff popcorn

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. baking soda

In a sauce pan melt butter, brown sugar, corn syrup over low heat until combined.  Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, stir constantly.

Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and baking soda.

Put corn pops into a large bowl and pour mixture over corn pops.  Stir to coat.  Place pops on a large cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, stir and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes.  Repeat a total of 3 times.

Let cool and store in a covered container.  Enjoy!

Granny’s Sugar Cookies

My son Andrew loves his Granny’s Sugar Cookies.  Just made them recently for an event at school.  They are always a big hit!

Granny's Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the ingredients above.

Mix in just until combined:

5 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tarter

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375°, on ungreased cookie sheet (I like to line mine with super parchment) placed 1.5″ dough balls spaced 2 inches apart.  Moisten the bottom of a glass and dip into sugar, press to flatten the cookie dough.

Bake for 10 minutes until edges just start to brown.  Remove to a rack to cool.  Enjoy!

Baked Spaghetti

This is one of those recipes that I always have the ingredients on hand.  If I think ahead I will take out some ground beef from the freezer and plan to make this family favorite for dinner.  It’s adapted from Paula Deen’s cookbook “The Lady & Sons, Too!”

Ingredients

1 – 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes (I like petite)

2 – 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

1 cup water

1/2 cup diced onions

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper (I use whatever I have on hand – red, yellow, orange, green)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

12 oz. uncooked spaghetti (I like rigati)

2 cups grated Colby Jack cheese

Method

To make the sauce, in a stock pot combine the first 14 ingredients (thru bay leaves).  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 1 hour.  In a large saute pan, crumble the ground beef and cook until no pink remains, drain the fat.  Add the ground beef to the sauce.  Simmer for another 20 minutes.  While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Cover the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 in pan with sauce (I use a glass pan).  Add a layer of pasta, then half of the cheese, repeat the layers, ending with the sauce (save the other half of the cheese).  You will have some pasta leftover (great to saute with butter, salt and pepper and parm. on another day).  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.  Top with the remaining cheese, return to the oven and continue to bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.  Let rest 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

Creamy Risotto with Roasted Asparagus

Creamy Risotto with Roasted Asparagus

Serves 3-4 as a main dish or 6 as a side dish

Ingredients

1 bundle of asparagus

olive oil

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup water

1 medium onion, finely diced

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 cup arborio rice

coarse salt

fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method

Heat oven to 400º.  Cut asparagus on bias in 1 inch pieces.  Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, stirring once.  Remove from oven and set aside.

In a sauce pan, heat the stock and water to a simmer.  In a 3-4 quart sauce pan, melt the better.  Saute the onions until soft, about 5 minutes.  Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.    Add the rice to the onions, cook on medium heat, stirring, until rice is translucent around the edges, about 4 minutes.  Add the wine, cook until absorbed, about 2 minutes.

Cook the rice by adding 1 cup of stock at a time.  Stir until almost all the liquid is absorbed before adding more.

Stock is absorbed and ready to add more

Keep stirring and adding more stock as it is absorbed in to the rice, until tender.  25-30 minutes total.  Add the asparagus and stir to combine.  Remove from heat and add Parmesan.  Serve, topped with more cheese.

Risotto with Asparagus

This recipe can highlight other vegetables as well.  Try it with sauteed zucchini or sweet peas (previously frozen), mushrooms, or roasted butternut squash.

Chicken and Rice Soup

When it’s a busy week ahead, I love to make a pot of soup so there’s enough leftovers to last a few days.  One of our favorites is an easy homemade chicken soup.  Sometimes I add rice, sometime noodles.  We love it either way.  I encourage you to try it, use stock for best flavor.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (uncooked), skinned

1 large onion, chopped

4 large carrots, chopped

4 celery ribs, chopped

bay leaf

whole parsley

thyme sprigs

3 quarts chicken stock

water

precooked rice

salt and pepper

Method

I like to remove the skin from the chicken to cut down on fat in the finished product.

Place the chicken in a large stock pot.  Add chicken stock and water until chicken is covered.  Add the chopped vegetables.

Carrots, Celery, Onions

Tie the thyme, parsley and bay leaf with kitchen twine and place in pot.

Herb Bundle

Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour.

Remove whole chicken from the pot to a cutting board.  Once cool enough to handle, remove all meat from the bones and chop or shred into sizes to your liking.

Discard the bones.  Skim the fat from the top of the soup.  Remove the herb bundle.

Add your precooked rice (or your favorite noodles) and adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Hello world!

Hello! Welcome to Quilt and Cafe! I hope that when you visit you will be inspired to try new recipes or sewing projects. I’ve been thinking about blogging for quite some time and finally have stopped the procrastination and made today the day I begin. Enjoy your time here, please come back and check in on me from time to time.