Creamy Red Potato Salad

Serves about 10

3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 teaspoons mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3 pounds new red potatoes, unpeeled
4 hardboiled eggs
1/2 cup chopped green onions

In a small bowl combine all ingredients except potatoes, eggs and green onions. Set dressing aside.

Boil potatoes until tender. Cut potatoes and eggs into chunks, and combine in a large bowl. While potatoes are still warm, toss with dressing, and top with green onions. Chill and serve, or serve warm.

Oatmeal Scotchies

I have made these many times, and they are always great. These were made with unbleached flour and white sugar because they were for an outreach meeting. Usually I make them with whole wheat flour and Florida crystals or honey.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

1 1/4 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 (11 ounce) package butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, beat sugars into butter until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well. Add salt and cinnamon. Sprinkle baking soda over the dough and gradually beat in the flour. Add oats and mix well. Stir in butterscotch chips.

Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets. You'll save yourself some scrubbing if you line your baking sheets with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 12 for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for at least 2 minutes before removing to cooling racks. Cool completely before storing. For best taste, eat immediately before moving to cooling racks.

Old-Fashioned Brownies

We found that these are pretty crumbly if you overcook them... However, they tasted great, and if you top them with ice cream, they're perfect.

Serves: 2 dozen bars

2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup Florida crystals
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (we used walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large mixing bowl, cream butter, Florida crystals and honey together. Add all the other ingredients except the flour and nuts, and mix well. Add flour and beat until smooth. Stir in nuts.

Spread into a greased 9 by 13" pan. I doubled the recipe so I could use my favorite Pampered Chef bar pan.


Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

If you are using these for ice cream sundaes, try warming the brownies before serving. Enjoy!

Fruit Filled Thumbprints

These delicate little cookies are so pretty! We tried three different jellies: blackberry, strawberry and orange. We also used three different "nuts": pecans, walnuts and sesame seeds. The cookies are best if you actually follow the recipe. If you use whole eggs in the batter instead of merely the yolks, they are not as delicate, and require more flour to make the dough workable. These would be perfect to serve at formal events.

Makes about 6 dozen

2 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, separated
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups finely chopped nuts (pecans will make a nice dark contrast to the cookie, walnuts will be lighter and taste more delicate)
fruit preserves, at least 1 1/2 cups

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Add egg yolks, salt, vanilla and flour. Beat until well mixed, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Beat egg whites with a fork until foamy. Form cookie dough into 3/4" balls. Dip into egg whites, roll in chopped nuts, and place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheets, or, as I prefer on sil-pat covered baking sheets. Make a depression with a thumb or teaspoon in the center of each cookie. The deeper/wider the indentation, the more jelly will fit in, and the sweeter the cookies will be.

Bake for 8 minutes; remove from the oven, and fill centers with preserves. Return to the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes longer, or until lightly browned.

Captian Lord Mansion Creamy Hash Browns

We stayed at the Captain Lord Mansion of Kennebunkport, Maine this April to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. It was a comfortable but regal (Federal) bed and breakfast, and we stayed on the third floor. Their breakfast were excellent, and we could smell them as we descended all those stairs in the morning. The friendly Christian cook gave me his recipe for the hash browns he served on Saturday morning.

Serves: 12 - 16

1 (2 lb) bag southern style hash browns, thawed
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups grated cheddar, jack, or mexican cheese
2/3 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 can French fried onion rings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients except for the onion rings. Bake in a greased 9 by 13" glass baking dish for 1 hour. Top with the onion rings and bake another 10 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Broccoli Tuna Bake

Serves: 8

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 (6 ounce) cans solid albacore tuna in water, drained and flaked
3 cups cooked rice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli, thawed
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place broccoli in a pot with about an inch of water and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Remove broccoli with a slotted spoon. Save 1 cup of this vitamin rich water.

Combine saved broccoli water with lemon juice, soup, milk, broth and pepper. Stir in tuna and rice. Transfer to a greased 8" square dish.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Top with broccoli, sprinkle with cheese, and continue baking for 5 -10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Spinach Turkey Delight

Very tasty!

Serves: 8-10
1 pound ground turkey
1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (4 ounce) cans mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (10 3/4) ounce can condensed cream of celery soup
2 cups sour cream
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Italian blend cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, brown turkey with onion and garlic. Add mushrooms and seasonings and stir well. Stir in spinach, soup, sour cream, and mozzarella cheese.

Transfer to a greased 9" by 13" pan. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and continue baking 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted.

Serve hot. In the photo it is served with pirogies. We found we also like it as a dip with crackers.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen

1 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons water
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together the shortening, sugars, and peanut butter until well blended. Add eggs and water, and mix well. Combine dry ingredients, and gradually add to dough.

Form cookies on ungreased baking sheets with a cookie press or roll into balls and flatten with a floured four, fingers, or cookie stamp. I used my favorite "hand and heart" cookies stamp.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies come off the tray best if you wait about 5 minutes before removing them to the cooling racks. Of course, they taste best right out of the oven!

Broccoli Salad

This recipe has been handed down to me from my mother and grandmother. I always enjoyed it when Mom made it as I was growing up. This week I made it for the first time, and shared it at the church fellowship meal.


Serves: 12
8 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1 cup chopped Vidalia onion
1/2 cup raisins
1 lb cooked bacon, crumbled

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1/2 cup maple syrup

The night before serving, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, and maple syrup for the dressing, and refrigerate.

For the salad, combine the broccoli, onion, raisins, and bacon. Just before serving pour the dressing over the salad.

Enjoy!

Cheddar-Chile Corn Muffins

I served these with chili one evening this week. I thought they could use a little more cheese, but everyone enjoyed them. The chilies add a nice kick. =)

I usually use whole wheat flour for baking, but I had no time to grind any, so these were made with unbleached flour. We also used Florida crystals in these, as I didn't take the time to melt down my tub of honey.

Makes: 12-14 muffins
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup sugar or Florida crystals
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons chopped onion
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles, undrained

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar (Florida crystals), baking powder, salt, onion and cheese. Make a well in the center the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, mix oil, egg, milk and chiles. Pour liquid ingredients into the well of flour mixture, and stir just until mixed.

Using a large cookie scoop, fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan 5 minutes so the cheese won't stick to the pan.

We heated these to serve with our chili, and had them cool with taco salad the next evening. I prefer them warm, but others liked them cool.