Expanding the blog...

So... I know, I promised to start posting new recipes, but I have been on another track lately. I'm still cooking! Someone has to feed all these teenagers. But cooking isn't the only thing we do from scratch. We live life "from scratch". From the essence of nothing. As children we think our parents never gave us enough wisdom to get us ready for the real world and we make all our own mistakes starting our lives "from scratch". It's not that they didn't give us the tools we needed it's that we thought we knew it all.

I found myself starting a million different things from scratch over the last 40 years. College, parenting, marriage, divorce, dating after divorce, letting my kids grow up and move out, remarrying a wonderful man, and letting that man turn my backyard into a farm!

I want to incorporate all these new beginnings into my blog because life is from scratch no matter how prepared you think you may be for it. A couple of years ago my son said I should start a blog. We bounced around some names; moms manic musings was in the mix! But I think since I already have this one started we can turn it from just cooking into loving, living, cooking and building our lives from scratch and yes we will still have recipes!

Here's one that is sure to be a crowd pleaser that I found floating around Facebook. I made some changes but I've included the original link I used below.

Bacon Shots

Ingredients:

Bacon- 2 packages

Keilbasa- 2 packages

Brown Sugar- about 1/2 cup

Cajun Seasoning- how hot do you like it?

Bourbon- 1/2 cup or so

Cut both packages of bacon in half. Lay flat in a baking dish and pour bourbon over them. Let soak 2 hours or overnight. 

Cut the Kielbasa into 1 inch pieces and wrap with bacon leaving a "cup" at the top. Place on a cookie sheet or back in the baking dish with the bourbon. 

Mix brown sugar and Cajun seasoning together and using a teaspoon fill the "cup" you created with the bacon and Kielbasa. 

Bake in a 400 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes until bacon is crisp.

Notes: you may want to spray the bottom of the pan with non stick cooking spray. They delicious 'lil snacks do stick a little.

Here is the original link

https://www.facebook.com/OneCountry/videos/1457010711018359/

Stay tuned for deliciousness

I took a break. Too long of a break.

But in the meantime I got engaged. Got married and moved to a new house. In the weeks to come I'm going to be polishing up my camera and getting things set up so I can start blogging again. I've been cooking and baking and I'm hoping to have new recipes to put up here for all of you to enjoy!

You will have to keep guessing at what comes next!

In the meantime.... Did you know?

OCTOBER IS:

• American Cheese Month American Cheese Society
• Cool Food for Kids Month (National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association)
• Cranberry Month (USDA Proclamation 2002)
• National Apple Month (October) [US Apple Assoc]
• National Applejack Month
• National Caramel Month (Nat’l Confectioners Asn)
• National Chili Month
• National Cookbook Month (many cooksbooks are published in time for the holiday season)
• National Cookie Month
• National Country Ham Month (National Country Ham Association)
• National Dessert Month
• National Eat Better; Eat Together Month
• National Farm to School Month (National Farm to School Network)
• National Pasta Month (National Pasta Association)
• National Pickled Peppers Month ?
• National Pizza Month
• National Popcorn Poppin' Month (In 1999 Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman proclaimed October as National Popcorn Poppin’ Month)
• National Pork Month (October became known as Pork Month because it marked the time of year when hogs were traditionally marketed).
• National Pretzel Month ?
• National Seafood Month (a few years ago it was temporarily moved to June as a marketing experiment, but was then moved back to October)
• National Spinach-Lovers' Month
• National Tomato Month
• Non-GMO Month (Non-GMO Project)
• Vegetarian Awareness Month (North American Vegetarian Society

Find more fun facts at www.foodreference.com  

Penne Chicken Alfredo Pizza

What you need:

1 pizza crust thawed at room temperature

1/2  lb of penne, prepared

1/2 cup-1 cup diced cooked chicken

Alfredo sauce, homemade or store bought, about a jar and a half

garlic

olive oil

Shape you dough into a large circle, about 14" across. Lightly oil the dough and add fresh or powdered garlic to taste. Add Alfredo sauce to within 1" of the edge. Top with chicken and penne noodles. Add more sauce and sprinkle with Italian Seasonings for a little color. Bake in a 400 degree oven until the crust is browned.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

The kids loved these! 

I used fresh pumpkin instead of real pumpkin and I also used white 

chocolate chips with the chocolate chips. You can access the

original link here. It came from All Recipes.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/10740/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies-iii/ 

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm

Parmesean Stuffed Little Necks

So my cousin lives on the Island and sometimes he brings us clams! Well this last time we ordered a whole bushell.... That's a lot of clams! I had no idea what to do with them all, so I made chowder, stuffed clams and Joe and the kids and family and friends ate the rest of them steamed or raw.

What you need:

About 2 dozen little necks

1/2 cup parmesean cheese, grated

1 cup bread crumbs

2-3 Tbls oregano, finely chopped

2-3 Tbls parsley, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup chicken stock

2-3 Tbls olive oil

red pepper flakes to taste

Preheat the oven to 450.
Place the clams on a sheet tray and put them in the preheated oven for 2 to 3 minutes or until the clams just begin to open. Don't cook them!
Using a butter knife pry the clams open and remove the top shell. Pull the clam away from the bottom shell and place it back in the bottom shell.

Preheat the broiler.

In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, oregano, crushed red pepper and some salt. Add the olive oil and stir until combined. Add chicken stock until the mixture is quite wet. Taste to check the seasoning, add more salt if needed.

Pack each clam full of the bread crumb mixture. Pack the bread crumbs down and really secure the edges. This will help the clam stay moist.

Place the clams on a sheet tray and add about 1/2 cup of water to the tray. This will also help the clams stay moist. Put the tray under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes until the bread crumbs are brown and crispy.

Chicken Hunter Copycat Dinner with Broiled Zucchini and Squash with Dill Sauce

So there's this little place I love to eat. It's called Arkville Bread and Breakfast... I love Jack's food! Went in for lunch one day and got the "Chicken Hunter" special. Breaded chicken smothered in gravy with muenster cheese and bacon on a rustic baguette. Amazing!  And it got me thinking what can I do at home? So on the first try I didn't add the cheese and bacon but my picky eater asked if we could always eat our chicken like that! So thank you Jack for the inspiration and next time maybe I'll add cheese and bacon to ours! Oh and not to down play the zucchini and dill sauce. It actually made the perfect accompaniment to the chicken that I have decided to call the Chicken Huntress! LOL Enjoy!

What you need:

Chicken Huntress

4 skinless boneless chicken breast

2 packages brown gravy (make according to directions on package)

flour

eggs

bread crumbs

My chicken breasts were huge so I sliced them in half and ended up with 8. dredge your chicken breasts in flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs. Place in a 9 X 13 baking dish and cover in gravy. bake at 350 until the chicken is cooked through. We made extra gravy for after we got the chicken on the plates too!

Dill Sauce

1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill
1 small clove garlic, grated
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
 salt

 black pepper
zucchini
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat broiler. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, dill, garlic, and lemon juice. If necessary, thin with water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.Trim ends off zucchini. Cut in half crosswise, then cut each half lengthwise into 4-6 spears. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.Place zucchini in a pan and broil until tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Remove from broiler.Serve zucchini warm or chilled with yogurt-dill sauce.

Canned Venison

This is a pantry staple in my house! And being that it is full on hunting season I wanted to share. There are so many options for canned venison once you have a cupboard full of it. Chili, stew, pan fried with gravy and onions, add to sauces. Use your imagination!

Start with some fresh venison. Make sure you get as much fat as possible off. Cut it into small pieces. I leave a few pieces with minimal fat for flavor. Venison is naturally low in fat content. 

Using clean canning jars fill right to the brim. Do not add water! The venison will make it's own juice. Using a butter knife push the meat down to get rid of as many air pockets as you can. If you so desire you may add a pinch of salt.

Variety: fill the jars with layers of meat and potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and other spices. It becomes a meal in a jar and once put through the canning process can be opened and eaten with out heat. ( I prefer to heat mine)

Put you lids on snugly and process for about 90 minutes at 15lbs

San Francisco Pork Chops

I got this recipe offline. Can I just tell you what a huge hit this was for my family. I did double everything because there are so many of us! For the link I got it from see here http://allrecipes.com/recipe/230995/san-francisco-pork-chops/

What you need:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 (3/4 inch-thick) boneless pork chops, trimmed
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown chops in hot oil, about 5 minutes per side; remove pork to a plate, reserving oil in skillet.
Cook and stir garlic in reserved drippings until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, and red pepper flakes in a bowl, dissolving brown sugar. Return pork chops to skillet and pour soy sauce mixture over the chops. Bring sauce to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to low. Simmer chops until tender, 30 to 35 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking.
Transfer chops to a serving platter. Whisk cornstarch and water in a small bowl until smooth; stir into pan juices and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour sauce over chops to serve.

Chicken and Gravy with "Biscuits"

The ultimate in comfort food. And my Price Chopper had a sale on bakery rolls, so I used them instead of biscuits! This recipe is for 9 of us so cut it half if needed.

What you need:

6-8 Large chicken breast cut up

2 bags of frozen mixed veggies

3 packets of gravy powder

4 cups of chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot add a little oil and lightly brown cut up chicken. Add 3 cups chicken broth and cover. Cook on med-high heat till cooked through. Breaking the chicken up as it cooks to get the shredded texture. In a bowl thoroughly mix the 3 gravy packets with the other cup of chicken broth. Add gravy mix and veggies to the pot. Add salt and pepper and cook till veggies are tender and gravy thickens. Serve over rolls or biscuits with a side of garlic-sour cream mashed potatoes. 

Venison Cheese Steak

Yes it's hunting season! Here's a twist on a classic.

What you need:

Small venison roast, sliced thin, the thinner the better

1 large onion 

oil

Loaf of French or Italian bread

Cheese, whatever you like, I made a cheese sauce

Cheese Sauce:

4 oz Velvetta

4 slices American

1/4- 1/2 cup milk

In a large skillet or on a flat top grill add a some oil and saute the onions until soft and tender. Remove from heat. Add the venison and cook until no longer pink. About 3-6 minutes depending on how thick you sliced it. When it is almost done add the onions to it and cook about 2 minutes.

For the sauce. In a small pan combine the milk and cheeses and heat until melted and smooth.

I toasted my bread, that's a personal choice. Slice 3/4 of the way through, pile with venison and onions and top off with the cheese sauce. 

Pork Loin with Pear Sauce

I like to experiment with fruit in my recipes. I don't eat enough fruit and it's not because I don't like it. I just don't eat it. I'm more of a warm comfort food type of snacker than a healthy fruit snacker. So I try to put it in my meals. 

1 pork tenderloin
2 pears, diced
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken stock
Oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


Heat the oil in a skillet placed over a medium-high heat. Season the pork tenderloin to taste. Brown the pork on all sides, and remove from the skillet. Add the pears, the onion, and the garlic to the skillet, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Bring the pork back to the skillet, pour in the chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Slice the pork and serve with the pear sauce.

Butternut Squash and Apple Side

If you're like me, you can never find a side dish. Growing up a plate was meat, starch, veggie. I get tired of peas, broccoli, and corn. This is sweet and a lil bit tangy.

What you need:

1 lb. butternut squash, cubed
1 to 2 apples, cubed
1 red onion, diced
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. ground cinnamon

3 tbls. butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 F.  Place the cubed squash, apple, onion, and ghee in a baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Maple and Garlic Caramelized Onions Over Steak

So last night Joe is cooking steak. Which he is great at! And I'm like oh hey how about some onions for that? I can't just stop at sauteed though..... so I gave it some um-pf!

What you need:

1 large onion, halved and sliced thin

2 Tbl garlic

2 Tbl butter

1/4 -1/2 cup real maple syrup

Melt the butter in the pan, throw in the onions and garlic and drizzle with the maple syrup. Cook on low until the onions are tender and the syrup has caramelized. About 15 minutes. Serve over your favorite cut of steak! Or throw on a burger! Anyway you serve them will bring a sweet and tangy flavor to any cut of meat you choose to pair with them.

Quick Chicken Parm

This was one of those whats in the cupboard nights! 

It tasted pretty good for a quick throw together!

What you need:

6 chicken breasts, tenderized and flattened

1 26 oz jar diced tomatoes

1 jar vodka sauce

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Thyme

Garlic

Oregano

Parsley 

Basil

Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with about half the jar of vodka sauce. Place the chicken in and cover with diced tomatoes, the rest of the vodka sauce and all the spices. top with Parmesan cheese and place in the oven at 350 until chicken is cooked through. Serve with spaghetti and bread. 

Canned Venison with Mushrooms and Onions

In light of hunting season and the fact that we just love this stuff, here is a great quickie recipe!

What you need:

2 jars of canned venison (if you don't know how to can venison I'll be posting a recipe for that eventually!)

pint of mushrooms, cut up

1 large onion, chopped

3 tbls chopped garlic

In a large saute pan, add onions and garlic with a little  butter until soft. Add in the mushrooms and venison and cook until hot. If there isn't enough natural juices use water or beef broth to moisten. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over egg noodles, biscuits or your favorite bread! 

Oops! Sweet Potato Chili!

This was my oops! I was trying to make a harvest dinner crock pot meal. While writing my grocery list I wrote chuck instead of chuck roast. I picked up stew meat chuck. I got home said whatever, I'm making it anyway. Needless to say my sweet potatoes ended up mush. Long story short I didn't want to waste a whole crock full of food so I froze it until I could think of something.

What you need:

oops harvest dinner(basically bite size pieces of chuck(1lb), cooked, over cooked sweet potatoes(4), chopped onion(1) and various spices, rosemary, basil, oregano, garlic)

3 Sweet potatoes, cut

1 lb ground beef

1 cans kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 jar chili sauce

3 cloves minced garlic

2 Tbls chili powder

1 tsp red pepper

1 cup water

salt 

pepper

Avocado for garnish

So I dumped my harvest dinner in a large pot. You will need to cook and puree about 3 sweet potatoes. 

In a large soup pot  brown the chuck and the hamburger until done, mix the onions and seasonings in with the meat so it cooks into it. Add mashed sweet potatoes, beans, chili sauce and water if needed. Also add your 3 cut sweet potatoes. Cook and simmer until potatoes are fork tender. Serve hot and add sliced avocado for garnish.

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

The ultimate southern comfort food! I love this stuff. My kids love it. My youngest son likes to eat it by the spoonful!

What you need:

16oz ground sausage

1/4 c flour

2 c milk

salt and pepper

Thoroughly brown your sausage in a large skillet. When cooked through add flour and stir till coated. Stir in milk and cook on medium heat until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve over your favorite biscuits.

Or my favorite. Pour over fresh cut fries!

Apple Pie

We all know it's apple picking season. Joe and Matt brought me home quite a few so her is one of the yummy's I made the other day!

What you need:

Pie crust (your favorite recipe or cheat, I won't judge)

Apples, I used probably 10-12, peeled cored and sliced

Sugar, just a little maybe 1/4 cup

Cinnamon, A few good shakes

Butter, about 4 pats

Mix apples with the sugar and cinnamon till coated. Pour in prepared pie crust. Add butter pats. Cover with 2nd crust and bake at 350 till golden brown. 

Apple Cobbler

When you really want apple crisp but you don't have any brown sugar....  we make apple cobbler! Just as sweet and feel good as crisp! I added cream cheese for a little extra something but next time I will put it between the apples and the topping.

What you need:

6 large cooking apples(any apple will do)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
vanilla, to taste
cinnamon
1/2 c butter

Peel, core and slice the apples and place in a lightly greased casserole. Mix sugar, flour, egg, vanilla, and cinnamon together in a bowl until the consistency of small crumbles. Evenly shake over the top of the apples. Pour melted butter over everything and bake at 350 until golden brown.


I know I didn't add the cream cheese! I used approximately 1/4 package of cream cheese sliced thin and placed on top. I think it would be better placed on top of the apples and under the topping!

Coconut Shrimp

I was never a shrimp fan until I tried this at some over priced restaurant! I had to try it at home! So here is my trial! I hope you enjoy it!

What you need:

Flour

Eggs 

Coconut and Panko bread crumbs

Shrimp( about 25 pieces)

oil- this is where I think you have the opportunity to add more flavor!

I don't have amounts for any of the ingredients. Sorry! I poured some flour in one bowl, mixed up about 4 eggs in another, then mixed about equal parts coconut and Panko. I used a little more coconut. Dredge your shrimp first in the flour, then the egg and then the coconut mixture. Set aside until all done. Heat your oil about 2 inches deep in a fryer or pan. This is where I used canola oil but I think I could have gotten more flavor if I used coconut oil. Cook on each side about 2 minutes until golden brown and cooked through!

For the Dip:

1/2 cup orange marmalade

1/3 cup sweet Thai chili sauce

Just mix it together and enjoy!