Linda Week: Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes

5 lbs browned ground beef
½ cup onion, chopped
½ green pepper, chopped
3 cups ketchup
½ cup white vinegar
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon each: pepper, celery seed, dry mustard, allspice, salt

Mix all ingredients together in a Dutch oven.  Simmer 1 hour.

Enough for a crowd!

Linda Week: Spaghetti Soup

Not to be confused with spaghetti tacos from iCarly, this is Linda's own creation and family favorite of Spaghetti Soup. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Soup

1 pound ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 ½ cups water
2 14 ½ ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 T sugar
½ t dried Italian seasoning
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
2 ounces spaghetti broken into 2-inch pieces

In Dutch oven, cook meat, onion, green pepper, carrot and garlic over medium heat until vegetables are tender and meat is not pink.  Add water, tomatoes (including liquid), spaghetti sauce, sugar and seasonings.  Bring to boiling.  Add spaghetti.  Return to boiling and reduce heat and boil gently for about 15 minutes until spaghetti is cooked.   Serve immediately.  Serves 6.

Linda Week: Whoopie Pies

In case you don't know, Whoopie Pies are a regional favorite in central PA, where Linda went to school and met her husband. Linda's sister-in-law, Missy, is the Queen of Whoopie Pies in her small town. I've never made these, but now they're on my list!

 

Whoopie Pies

Cakes
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
4 cups flour
1 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cups sour milk (add 2 tablespoons vinegar to milk)
1 cup hot water plus 2 teaspoons baking soda

Mix sugar, shortening, eggs and vanilla and set aside. Mix flour, cocoa and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to the sugar mixture. Add sour milk and water/soda. Line cookie sheet with wax paper. Drop by teaspoonful on cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Icing/Filling
1 cup confectioners sugar
¾ cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg white
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons flour

Mix all ingredients together and then add another cup confectioners sugar.
Fill two cake portions with icing. Wrap in plastic wrap to keep fresh.

Linda Week! Cinnamon Bread Breakfast Casserole

There are many reasons I love Linda. She's fun and funny, one of my javas and a great walking partner.

Last semester, Wednesdays were the worst. Between 8:00 am and 9:00 pm I was home for about 30 minutes. Every Wednesday, in that 30 minute window, Linda appeared at my back door with DINNER! I cannot tell you what a blessing it was, for her to take one less worry off my plate. Ha ha. No pun intended. This week I'll be sharing 5 of her family favorite recipes.

 Cinnamon Bread Breakfast Casserole

1 large loaf of cinnamon bread, cut into 1” squares
8 oz cream cheese
1 dozen eggs
1 c. milk or cream
½ c. syrup

Place bread cubes in greased 9 x 13 baking dish.  Blend the cream cheese, eggs, milk and syrup together.  Pour over the bread.  Refrigerate overnight.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Pink Week: Triple Berry Smoothie

Aside from our panini maker, the blender is the second most-oft used appliance in the house by the kids. (Important to note that none of them have mastered the washing machine or dishwasher....) The boys, especially, make a lot of smoothies. When the bananas on the counter start looking a little sketchy, I peel them and put them in a baggie in the freezer. Maybe everyone does this, but I thought it was a smart idea.

Here's an easy recipe for smoothie + frozen banana:

Triple Berry Smoothie

1 cup frozen or fresh mixed berries
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup vanilla low fat yogurt
1 medium ripe banana
1 cup ice

Process all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately.

Pink Week: Strawberry Bread

This recipe came from a dear mom of three who taught me how to pray for my kids. It is very easy to throw together and good!

 

Strawberry Bread

1 10-ounce package frozen strawberries, undrained
2 eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup chopped pecans

In a medium mixing bowl, combine strawberries, eggs and oil. Mix dry ingredients and nuts. Stir into strawberry mixture. Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan for about 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Pink Week: Easy Strawberry Pie

Easy Strawberry Pie

Filling:

1-8 ounce pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2-10 ounce pkgs frozen strawberries, thawed
Graham cracker crust

Blend cream cheese and sour cream. Reserve 1/2 cup berries and syrup; add remaining berries to cheese mixture. Pour into graham cracker crust. Freeze until firm. Spoon reserved berries over pie.

Crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter

Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter well and press firmly into 9’ pie pan. Chill 45 minutes.

Pink Week: Cherry Pudding

Cherries are one of those foods I didn't want to eat when I was little. I finally tried one, under duress...and liked it. My mom remembers this happening at a cherry orchard in Michigan, with a cherry picked straight from the tree. I remember it happening at the lunch buffet at Bonanza with a maraschino. Regardless, I do like cherries today. Here's a little keeper from my Grandma's recipe box...share the love with Cherry Pudding!

Cherry Pudding

2 cups sugar, divided
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup hot water
2 teaspoons baking powder
flour to form batter about like cake dough   
2 cups cherries

Mix 1 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon butter. Add water, flour and baking powder. Pour into greased 8 x 8 baking dish.

Mix 1 cup sugar with cherries and pour over batter. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon melted butter.

Pink Week: Sweetheart Cupcakes with Fluffy Frosting

Happy Valentine's Day!  All week I'll be sharing favorite pink (and red) foods to celebrate. As for today--why use a mix when you can whip these little cupcakes up from scratch? These came from my Grandma's recipe collection.

 

Sweetheart Cupcakes

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup soft shortening
Fluffy Frosting (see below)

1. Sift cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
2. Blend in shortening and 3/4 cup milk, then beat at medium speed on mixer 2 minutes. Blend in eggs, almond extract and remaining 1/4 cup milk; beat 1 minute, or 150 strokes. Pour into 2 greased and waxed paper lined muffin tins.
3. Bake in moderate (350 degrees) oven 20-25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, remove from pan.

Fluffy Frosting

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 egg whites, unbeaten
Red food coloring
2 tablespoons light corn syrup       

1. Blend all ingredients, except food coloring, in top of a large double boiler. Cook, beating constantly, over simmering water 5 minutes, or until volume triples. Tint pale pink with a drop of food coloring.
2. Top each cooled cupcake with a dollop of frosting and decorate with red candy hearts or pink sprinkles if you wish.

Mom Week: White Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe originally came from my mom's lifelong friend Sandie. They met when I was in 3rd grade--a friendship that has passed the test of time. When my mom comes up, she often makes food for us and my freezer. This is one of the recipes she uses. My love language is people cooking food and setting it in front of me--I always feel loved when I eat these. They are not low-cal, but it definitely delicious.

White Chicken Enchiladas

3 cups onions, chopped
3/4 cup butter
2 small cans chopped green chiles
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
6 cups cubed cooked chicken
Flour tortillas
Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
Whipping cream

Saute onions in butter.  Add green chiles, cream cheese and chicken.  Stir until cream cheese is melted.  Spread this mixture on a flour tortilla and top with Monterrey Jack cheese.  Roll and place seam side down in greased baking dish.  Sprinkle with more cheese.  For every 6 tortillas pour 1 cup whipping cream over top.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 min.  Freezes well (freeze tortillas separately on cookie sheet and then put in Ziplock bags.)

Mom Week: Cauliflower Salad

I have to confess that I am a way pickier eater than my mother. She frequently encouraged me to try new foods and sometimes I liked them. I appreciate that she tried to expand my palate--in spite of my resistance. Cauliflower might be among the foods I tolerate but do not regularly eat. So I'll confess that while I've eaten this salad, I've never actually made it. But, in celebration of my mom and winter white food, here it is!

Cauliflower Salad

1 head cauliflower
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1-8 ounce package cream cheese
1 carrot, grated
1 small jar pimentos
Minced onion to taste

Wash cauliflower and break into bite-size pieces.  Blend Miracle Whip and cream cheese.  Add carrot, pimentos and onion.  Add cauliflower and toss to coat evenly.

Mom Week: White Salad

I have not had this salad for years, but I fondly remember it from my growing up days. Cottage cheese has always kind of made me gag; however, my mom must have learned that I'd eat it if cleverly disguised.

Dream Whip makes me nostalgic, but in keeping with the non-processed theme, I'd like to try this with real whipping cream. Not sure what to do about the marshmallows, though I once clipped out a Martha Stewart recipe for homemade. It sounds like something I might attempt.

If I served this with lettuce and garnished it with a cherry half, my kids would definitely not eat it. But I do love that my mom came from a generation that took time to do things like that, and also use serving dishes.

White Salad

1 pound marshmallows
1/2 cup  milk
1 cup cottage cheese
1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple
1 package Dream Whip

Melt marshmallows in milk over low heat.  Watch and stir often.  Beat cream cheese with cottage cheese.  Add to marshmallow mixture.  Add pineapple.  Prepare Dream Whip and fold in.  Place in 9" x 13" pan.  Chill.  Serve on lettuce and garnish with cherry half.

Happy Birthday Mom! Coconut Cream Pie

I haven't always been good at making pies...I threw my first crust in the trash. I hadn't baked it yet, but even as a novice, I knew the gray color and rubbery texture would not bode well for any dessert, especially not pie. I've made plenty since that first fail and with some practice, I've become pretty good at it. So even if you don't think you can, I bet you can make good pie if you really try. Here's a great recipe from the one who taught me everything I know about the subject.

My favorite thing about these recipes is the cute little cards and my mom's handwriting.

Happy Birthday Mom--I love you! Thanks for teaching me to make pie.

Coconut Cream Pie

2 cups milk, scalded

1 cup sugar (scant)

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flaked coconut

1 baked pastry shell (see below)

Meringue

Add milk slowly to mixed sugar, flour and salt. Add beaten egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, stirring vigorously until mixture thickens. Remove from heat; stir in firm butter, vanilla and coconut. Pour into shell. Top with meringue; sprinkle with coconut and brown in hot oven for just a minute. Makes 1 9-inch pie.

P.S. I don't really know how to make meringue, so I often use whipped cream. Probably shouldn't put that in the oven.

Crust: (makes 2)

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup Crisco (this is the original recipe, so I included it, but you should know I always use butter because I am morally opposed to Crisco)
1/4 cup sugar (scant)
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon cold water

Blend all ingredients except water with pastry blender. Add water. Divide into 2 balls. Roll between 2 sheets of waxed paper (lay wax paper opposite directions so a square is formed). Roll dough to edges of square and place in pie plate.

Winter Week: Snow Ice Cream!

It's Winter Week and Mom Week here on Single Mom Cooks. Tomorrow's her birthday, so all week I'll be sharing winter white recipes from my mom. To start us off big, since we can't get enough of it, here's one way to make snow more fun...

Snow Ice Cream

bowl of snow
vanilla
half and half
sugar

Mix all together until consistency of ice cream.  Eat immediately.

Lisa Week: Strawberry Pretzel Salad

I can't imagine who thought of combining pretzels with jello but it's good. Try it for Valentine's Day!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup butter
3 teaspoons sugar
1-8 ounce pkg cream cheese
1 cups sugar
1-9 ounce carton Cool Whip
2 small packages strawberry Jello
2 cups boiling water
2-10 ounce packages frozen strawberries

Combine pretzels, butter, sugar and press into a 9 X 13 pan. Bake for 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Cool. Mix cream cheese, sugar, and Cool Whip and spread over the cooled crust. Let stand 10 minutes, then refrigerate until set. Mix the Jello, water and strawberries and let set in refrigerator until slightly thickened. Pour over the cream cheese mixture and chill well.

Lisa Week: Arkansas Green Beans

I don't know if she's ever been to Arkansas, but these are really good green beans. We had them at Christmas and it was nice to have something green on the plate. I'm going to try this with fresh green beans--guessing they need to be cooked a little before starting out, but I bet it's really good that way too.

Arkansas Green Beans

5 (15 oz. cans) green beans, drained
7 slices of precooked bacon
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted
7 teaspoons soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, pressed and minced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the drained green beans in a 9 X 13 in. baking pan. Lay bacon on top of green beans. Combine brown sugar, butter, soy sauce and garlic. Pour over green beans. Bake for 40 minutes.

Tomorrow we'll round out Lisa week with her yummy pretzel jello. Fun to serve for Valentine's Day! Have you subscribed to Comfort Food yet? The first issue is out today! Subscribe by emailing or leaving a comment below.

Lisa Week: Potatoes Supreme

I feel like you can't serve brisket unless there are potatoes nearby. This is easy and delicious. If you don't have a bag of hashbrown potatoes on hand, you can make them yourself. An easy way is to bake the potatoes, then cool in the fridge overnight. Once cool, peel and grate and wah lah...hashbrown style potatoes. Again, some planning ahead, but since you're already thinking about the brisket the night before, you can remember the potatoes too.

Potatoes Supreme

1 large bag hashbrown potatoes
8 oz. sour cream
1 lb. cheddar cheese
1 c. butter
1/8 t. paprika
salt & pepper to taste

Combine hasbrowns, butter, cheddar cheese and sour cream. Pour into a 9 X 13 pan and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

For another tasty potato dish, subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Comfort Food. Every Thursday I'll share a new recipe, a scripture and prayer for your family. And I really will pray for your family by name. To subscribe, email me here. Come back tomorrow for green beans!

Gooey Butter Cake

The name says it all. It is gooey and buttery. I don't know much about this recipe except that it is a regional favorite from Lisa's St. Louis days. It is also, hands down, my boys' favorite dessert, and most years they request it for their respective birthdays. I may, in fact, have to make it tonight as we have a little celebrating to do at our house. It's very sweet--I like a small piece with vanilla ice cream. And coffee. Definitely coffee.

Lisa's Gooey Butter Cake

Crust:
1/2 cup butter
1 egg, beaten
1 yellow cake mix

Combine and pour into 9x13 pan.

Topping:
1-8 ounce package cream cheese
2 eggs, beaten
2 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Pour topping over crust and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.