1 box frozen strawberries
1 can crushed pineapple
1 pkg.strawberry gelatin
1 container whipped topping
1 carton cottage cheese
In a saucepan, combine strawberries, pineapple, and strawberry gelatin together. Stir constantly until the gelatin dissolves, and then bring to a boil.
Set aside in the refrigerator until cool.
Stir in cottage cheese. Gently fold in the whipped topping. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
2 1/2 tsp. yeast or 1 pkg active dry yeast
1 c. very warm tap water, 110° to 115°
2 3/4 c. flour, divided
1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. olive oil
In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast, water, and 1-cup flour. Whisk until it is a smooth consistency. Place in a warm location and let rise for 15 to 20 minutes. This will let you know that your yeast is active. The mixture will have bubbles and foam.
Add olive oil and salt to the mixture and mix well. Add 1 1/4-cups flour to the mixture. With the dough hook attachment on your mixer, start to mix the pita dough. After mixing a couple of minutes, check the dough. If it is still sticking to the sides of the bowl, add some more flour, about 1/4 cup at a time. You want the dough to be soft, yet slightly sticky. When you get a soft, slightly sticky dough, allow the mixer to knead the dough for 5 to 6 minutes. Add a little more flour if necessary.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a ball.
Lightly oil the bowl with olive oil or vegetable oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning the dough over, so all sides are lightly oiled.
Cover the bowl with a tea towel or sheet of plastic wrap and place in a warm location. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size. This can take 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.
Turn the dough ball out onto a floured surface. With your fingers, lightly pat the dough into a flat rectangle. The dough should be about an inch thick. Use a knife or a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.
Form each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Cover the dough balls with a tea towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, take one dough ball. Lightly flour the top of the dough and then pat it flat with your fingers. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a circle that is about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat the process with the remaining dough balls. Dust the work surface and your rolling pin with flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.
After you roll out each piece of dough, set aside on a lightly floured surface and cover with a tea towel.
Allow the bread to rest for at least 5 minutes.
Take a cast iron skillet and brush the surface with some cooking oil. Place over medium heat. Lay one pita bread onto the heated skillet and cook for about 10 to 15 seconds. Flip the bread over and fry another 10 to 15 seconds. Flip the bread again and this time the bread will begin to puff up. With your spatula, gently press on the bread to release the air. They will again fill up with air, and this is fine. This gives you a better open pocket as it spreads the air through the sealed pita and opens it up on the inside. The bread will have some brown spots on the outside, and that is the way it should be.
Stack the cooked pita breads on a serving plate or bowl. Cover with a towel to keep them warm as you continue to cook the rest of the pita bread. When they are cool enough to handle, cut or break the bread in half and open the pocket. Fill each pocket with anything you like.
If your pita bread does not form a pocket, that is all right. Simply cut the bread in half, then carefully run a paring knife down the middle of the insides. Be careful, so you don't cut through to the outside.
Beef pot pie with biscuits is so easy to make. If you don't want to make your own biscuits, use store bought ones instead. Then just put them on top of your of the beef and vegetable mixture, or cut the dough into triangles and arrange them over the top.
1 lb. ground beef
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
3 Tbs. flour
1 c. beef stock
1 c. milk
1/2 tsp. thyme
salt and pepper to taste
30 oz. canned, drained or 3 c. frozen mixed vegetables
1 c. flour
1 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbs. very cold butter
1/2 c. whole milk or buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a heavy ovenproof cast iron skillet, cook ground beef, garlic, and onion. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off excess grease.
Stir in the mixed vegetables. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are hot. This takes about 4 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over the meat and vegetables. Mix well.
Pour in the beef stock, milk, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine. Bring to a bubble, then lower the heat. Simmer until the sauce becomes slightly thickened, stirring frequently. This takes about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, this is a good time to start making the biscuits, unless you are using store bought biscuits.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a whisk to mix the ingredients, as it helps to lighten the flour.
Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry
cutter or two table knives held together in your hand. The butter
should resemble coarse crumbs or small peas.
Pour the milk or buttermilk into the flour and stir the dough until just combined. It is very important to not over mix the dough, or the biscuits will be tough.
Drop the biscuit dough by heaping tablespoonfuls on top of the ground beef vegetable mixture. It should make at least 12 biscuits.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown and cooked through.
If you don't have a cast iron skillet, you can use a large casserole dish or a 9 x 13-inch pan.
I have trouble making a cake using a store bought cake mix. It will rise on one side of the cake pan, but stay thin on the other side. But when we make a cake from scratch, we never have that problem. The entire cake rises beautifully.
The other thing about store bought cakes is that you can eat the entire cake and not feel full. That is not good, especially when you read about how many calories are in a box cake.
When we make a cake, we make it from scratch. In all honesty, it doesn’t take that much longer to make, and it tastes so much better.
1 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. boiling water
1 to 2 tsp. instant coffee
3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. milk
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter or shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or one 13 x 9-inch cake pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until thoroughly combined and there are no lumps of cocoa.
Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix with a mixer on low speed to combine. Turn the mixer to medium high and beat for 2 minutes. Turn the mixer off and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally.
Combine the boiling water and instant coffee together. Stir until the coffee dissolves.
With
the mixer speed on low, pour in the boiling hot coffee. The mixture
will be very thin. Don't worry, as this is the way it is supposed to
be.
Pour in prepared cake pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until done. Test the cake with a wooden toothpick to make sure it is done.
Allow to cool. If you baked the cake in two round cake pans, allow them to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove them to a rack to finish cooling.
Frost when cool.
In a small saucepan, mix flour and milk together. Cook and stir over low heat until it becomes thick. It will be about the consistency of paste. Remove from heat and allow it to cool down.
In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar, butter, and vanilla together until light and fluffy.
Add the cooled milk and flour mixture. Beat well. The longer you beat it, the better and smoother the frosting will be.
Frost the cooled cake.
Comfort food from my childhood. Tender potatoes, onions and ham in a cream sauce. It doesn't cost a lot, but it is filling and delicious.
6 Tbs. butter, divided
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. thyme
3 c. milk
salt and pepper to taste
6 potatoes, sliced very thin
1 onion, sliced thin in half rings
1 1/2 c. ham, fully cooked, cut into small cubes
Heat oven to 375°. Grease or spray a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish.
In a saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat. Whisk in flour. Cook and stir for a couple of minutes to remove the flour taste.
Whisking constantly, gradually pour in the milk. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Layer a third of the potatoes, onion and ham in the prepared baking dish. Pour a third of the sauce over the top. Repeat layering potatoes, onion, and ham, ending with the sauce.
Cover and bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost tender. Remove from the oven and remove the lid.
Dot the remaining butter. Return to the oven, uncovered, and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until potatoes are tender.
You can top this with shredded cheese, or even add a layer of cheese on top of the ham or on top of each sauce layer.
Garlic is so good, and it is healthy for you. This is a colorful dish with the sweet bell pepper, corn, and parsley. It takes only a few minutes to put together for an easy side dish.
2 Tbs. butter
3 garlic cloves, minced (more or less depending on how much you like garlic)
1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 (15 oz.) can corn or 1 lb. frozen corn
1 tsp. parsley
salt and pepper to taste
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the garlic cloves, sweet bell pepper and onion. Sauté until the onions and peppers are tender. Make sure to keep the vegetables moving, so the garlic does not burn.
Drain off all but half a can of the liquid in the canned corn. Add the corn, half a can of the liquid and parsley to the garlic mixture. If using frozen corn, add 1/3 c. water.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer until almost all the liquid has cooked away.
Serve and enjoy!
3 potatoes, cut into cubes
2 carrots, cut into rounds
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 (4 oz) can mushrooms, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. sage
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. chicken thighs
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1 2/3 c. baking mix
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 c. milk
1 c. frozen peas
3 oz. cream cheese
Set oven temperature to 175° to 200°.
In a large cast iron Dutch oven with a lid, combine, potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic.
Sprinkle the thyme, and sage over the vegetables and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables.
Mix the cornstarch and about 1/4 c. chicken broth together until smooth. Add the remaining chicken broth, mixing well. Pour the chicken broth over the chicken thighs and vegetables.
Cover the pot and bake for 7 to 8 hours, or until the vegetables are tender, and the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven.
Take the chicken out and allow the chicken pieces to cool slightly, so they are easier to handle. See notes below. Remove the meat off the bones and then coarsely chop the chicken meat. Return the chicken meat to the vegetables.
Stir in frozen peas and cream cheese until the cream cheese melts. The sauce should be creamy. Return to the oven and bake another 10 minutes.
As the chicken and vegetables are cooking, it is time to start the biscuits.
In a bowl, combine, biscuit mix, and shredded cheddar cheese. Mix in the milk, stirring only until combined. Do not over mix or the biscuits will be tough.
On a floured surface, turn the dough out and knead about 10 times. Roll or pat the dough out into a circle that is about 1/2-inch thick.
Cut the biscuits with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet.
Remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Turn the oven temperature to 425°. When the oven comes to the right temperature, bake the biscuits until golden brown. This takes about 10 to 12 minutes.
You don't have to remove the bones and chop up the chicken meat. You can leave the chicken thighs whole and serve the dish that way.
If you want more sauce with your chicken and vegetables, add more chicken broth. Be sure to mix in about a tablespoon cornstarch with another 1 to 1/2 c. chicken broth for a thicker sauce.
You can use a slow cooker set to the low setting, instead of using the oven.
