Snacks for Church - Very Berry Cream Cheese spread

 

We helped with snacks for after church last weekend.  I made a couple of cream cheese spreads to go on the bagels that we brought.  (Plain bagels and Thomas Limited Edition Banana Bread Bagels, which were delicious, by the way) The spread I made for the plain bagels also worked for the crackers that someone else had brought - it was a Muffaletta spread with cream cheese, olives, jardiniere and salami - oh, it is so good.  The spread I made for the Banana Bread Bagels was, as I called it "Very Berry Cream Cheese Spread".  Quite frankly, it's really so good, who needs a bagel - just scoop it up like frosting - ha ha...

One of the ladies asked me for the recipe, so here it is -

Very Berry Cream Cheese Spread

1 8 oz. pkg. Philly cream cheese - I used Neufchatel style light cream cheese

1/4 cup softened butter (NOT margarine)
1/4 cup Chobani Mixed Berry Greek yogurt
2 or 3 tablespoons Bonne Maman brand jam - I used Raspberry-Apricot because that was what was open in the fridge - (I like Bonne Maman jams because they are just fruit, and sugar.  No other added ingredients - no artificial colors or additives, no high fructose corn syrup and they are free of preservatives)
1-3 teaspoons sugar (to taste - both the cream cheese and the yogurt make this a little bit tart without it)

Beat the cream cheese and the butter until smooth and fluffy.  Beat in the yogurt, add the jam and mix.  Add the sugar to taste - It is good to let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours so the flavors get all nice and happy. 

Enjoy on bagels or toast, or crackers - or a spoon - (probably if you put a couple of cups of powdered sugar in it would make delicious frosting as well, but I haven't tried that, so only do it if you are adventurous)





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Life, Miracles and Chicken Soup

Some of my faithful readers may remember a couple of years ago when I had a "little heart issue" that landed me in the hospital.  Well, last month, I discovered, it was back.  This time, I knew what was happening and after it hadn't stopped after a couple of weeks, I ended up going into my cardiologist office on 9/28, (to eliminate the panic that had ensued from my GP's office in 2013) -  Pulse rate - 130 beats per minute. 

They kindly confirmed what I had suspected, and changed some of my meds, that didn't work after a couple of days, so they had me come in and meet with a Nurse Practitioner.  Very nice lady who happened to take a copy of my EKG out to talk to one of the docs in the office when the Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiologist  Dr. happened by, and just in a moment of grace, saw my EKG and said, "Well, I can fix that" - A cure - who knew? 

That started me on the path to a Cardiac Ablation that was performed on Monday Oct. 12.  The pretty flowers above - they are from my sisters - to wish me well after this very successful procedure.  I have to tell you that from the time I walked into the Surgery Center at 7:30 a.m. on that Monday until the time I walked out the door at about 4:30 p.m. (*pulse rate 63 beats per minute) I felt loved and cared for.  It was really an amazing day and, quite frankly, miraculous.  (And,  I was able to be back at work on Wednesday afternoon to be at a dinner meeting that I had been working on for 6 weeks).

I feel much better now, and hopefully this will be the end of that issue. Oh, and the kitties - they stuck to me like glue for about three days after I got home.  I think they took their nursing skills very seriously!  And many thanks to all of you out there who included me (and my doctor & his team) in your prayers last week.  I'm sure it made a difference! 

One Pot Chicken & Vegetable Stew

So, what you always need when you're feeling down, is Chicken Soup, right?  I put this recipe together about a month ago - I was in an "email club for Chicken recipes" from Pillsbury.  Most of the recipes looked pretty good, but used a lot of pre-made items and mixes - and I mostly cook from scratch.  So when I saw a recipe for a "one pot chicken & vegetable skillet" - I thought - maybe I can improve on that - we still had LOTS of zucchini and I had some other vegies in the fridge that I could chop up - and ta-da "Chicken Stew" was perfected.


 Last year for Christmas I got myself a Williams-Sonoma 7 qt. Non Stick Dutch Oven.  I had (ahem) "destroyed" my big soup kettle by draining all the water out of my green beans, but unfortunately putting the pan back on the burner with the burner still on.  Ahem - really toasted that pan.  So I'd been on the lookout for a new 7 or 8 qt. pan, and boy, let me tell you, this is a nice one.  You can see more about it HERE

This pan is perfect to cook soups or stews or a "fricassee" - It also is great to steam ears of corn, cook a nice pork loin roast (because you can brown it and then tuck it in the oven and let it finish cooking).  I use it a lot. And without further chatting, here is my recipe 

One-Pot Chicken and Vegetable Stew

This recipe is based on a Pillsbury 30 days of Chicken & Vegetable Skillet recipe.  I like using fresh vegies instead of frozen. 

Ingredients

2   tablespoons olive oil

2   boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

1   medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Tastefully Simple "Garlic Garlic" granules

2   cans (14 oz) Hunts Fire Roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

1   Russet potato, diced

2   medium zucchinis - diced

1/2 head of cabbage roughly chopped

1 14 oz can of chicken stock

Salt, pepper, Seasoning Salt, Mrs. Dash original seasoning, any other herbs or spices you might like, to taste

Directions

1. In a non-stick Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is browned on all sides. Remove from skillet to plate.
2. To same pan, add remaining tablespoon olive oil and the onion; cook over low heat until onion is softened and golden.  Add the Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic granules and any other spices or herbs you might like.  (you could use fresh garlic here - I just prefer the taste of the Tastefully Simple product)
3. Add potatoes, zucchini & cabbage.  (I have also added chopped carrots here)  Add canned tomatoes to pot; cook 5-10 minutes longer. Add the chicken stock.  Cover and cook until vegetables are tender crisp, stirring as  little as possible so you don't mush up your vegies.
4. Return chicken to pan; if desired, season with salt and pepper. Cover; cook 10-15 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
   Buy a nice loaf of crusty Italian bread to go with this and you'll have a tasty supper.  It probably makes enough for 6 or so people, or 2 people for two nights.  Enjoy. 
   
   

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Easy like Sunday .....

 Hey - you - yeah, I mean you - whatch doin? 

George here - out snoopervising Mummy on one of her recent forays outside the house...we have to follow her around and make sure she doesn't get into trouble with bees or falling over hoses... (Mummy here - "and you do a very good job, George - I appreciate your help")

Anyhow, it's Sunday, and during the summer, that means things are pretty laid back around here.  Breakfast is brunch and lunch is ... well, whenever you can wrangle some...

This morning Mummy made cream scones for The Shepherd for his brunch.  He fills them with strawberry jam and happily munches away.

And there are extras for snacks later in the day. 

 Mummy had seen a recipe for Raspberry Scones on Pinterest last week and wanted to try them this morning.  The Shepherd said he wanted his scones plain, so, she made two separate batches - plain ones for him and raspberry ones for her.  She had picked the raspberries at a friends house a couple of weeks ago and put them in the freezer - she initially froze them on a cookie sheet so they were little individual "nuggets of frozen goodness" and then put them in a freezer container.  They are luscious to snack on when you just want "something a little sweet"

The recipe called for a whole cup of raspberries, but she wasn't willing to part with that much of her stash, so she just used a half a cup - she added them while they were still frozen, so she could break them up a little bit  -  as you can see, 1/2 cup was plenty. 

You can find the recipe from Pinterest here

She left out the almonds because she didn't have any, and thinks that the recipe called for way too much glaze/frosting - she only used a tiny bit on each scone.  And, they were delicious! 

On a whole 'nother note, Mummy got this African violet from a friend, two years ago when she celebrated her 20th anniversary at The Salt Mine.  (Happened to be on July 26!)

Some of you may know that she left that job on June 12.  "Early Retirement"   was fun at first, but she was applying for jobs that looked interesting and last week was offered a part time position at a NEW Salt Mine.  She starts on Tues 28th - 22 years and 2 days from the time she started the job at the "OLD Salt Mine".   Anyhow, this African violet never had bloomed again since she got it, but it is blooming again for the first time - she figures it must be to celebrate her new job. 

So, that's pretty much the news for today.  I have to go clean my handsome furs now, so you can go away. 

We hope you guys all have a great week ahead.  I'll keep you posted on how Mummy's new job goes! 

XOX   George

900th Post, a Caturday Report & a Recipe!!

Hello Effurybody & Effury Kitty! It's Caturday!  And it's the lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer around here.


First off, Mummy asked me to thank you all for your good wishes at her recent health scare
adventure.  She is feeling much better now!

We's just all hanging out and nappin as much as we can, soakin in the sun for we know that the cold grey days of the rainy season will be coming soon.  But till then, it's naps for us.

Since this is her 900th post, Mummy was looking at the stats for her blog that are provided by the ebil blogspot - and she wonders why there would be 100 page views from Russia in the past week, or why sometimes it lists the referring sites and it is a web site that sells "medicines for guys" - She wonders what the heck that is all about...

The Shepherd is harvesting his cabbage crop this afternoon and Mummy will chop it all up to make coleslaw for their church BBQ tomorrow.  She's also going to snap 7 pounds of green beans - they are expecting about 30 people - so she'll be busy this afternoon.

Speaking of Green Beans, I know that she also promised you the new recipe that she came up with for Bean Salad earlier this summer.  She said it was so good that she and The Shepherd were both eating it by the bowl full!  She said you could put any combination of beans and vegies in it.  The fresh green beans really added a lot to the flavor and texture.  It might also be good with fresh broccoli or cauliflower bits in it.  or throw in a can or corn and add some Chipotle pepper sauce to the dressing - Yum.  But she made it with the following recipe -

Marinated Five-Bean Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 can dark red kidney beans, drained
• 1 can yellow wax beans, drained
• 3 cups fresh green beans (or one can, drained)
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 large onion, quartered & sliced very thin
• 1 medium red bell pepper, quartered & cut into thin slices

DRESSING:

• ¾  cup Cider Vinegar
• ¾ cup White wine vinegar
• 1 ½  cup vegetable oil
• 1 ½  cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. Tastefully Simple “Garlic Garlic” or 1 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon coarse-ground pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all vegetables. In a 3-quart saucepan, combine vinegars and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, whisking to emulsify oil & vinegars. Pour vinegar mixture over vegetables. Mix well. Cover and chill overnight, stirring several times. To serve, scoop with slotted spoon into serving dish, saving marinade to make more bean salad. Makes 6-8 servings (about 8 cups). Note: Salad can be stored in refrigerator up to two weeks, but it is so tasty, it won’t last that long.  You can keep adding more beans & veggies if you want.  If you double the recipe for a picnic, etc.  don’t double the dressing, just go half  again as much  - doubled, the salad fills my big yellow Tupperware bowl. 

So that's all the noose I've got for ya - Hope everyone has a fantabulous weekend.  Love, your roving reporter, Gracie!  

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Yellow things?

 Some "Yellow" things in life this week -

A yellow Pansy from the Easter bowl that we got each other.  I paid for the flowers and The Shepherd potted them up for the back porch.  They are so cheery looking! 

Believe it or not, these little daffodils are only about 4 inches tall.  I guess I should have put a quarter or something on the ground next to them- as that is only how big the little blossoms are.  

These three are not much bigger - only about 8 or 10 inches tall.  but they add a friendly "hello" to our driveway flower beds.  

Can you believe that for as long as I have been cooking and baking I have never made lemon bars? But I made some yesterday to take to church today and they were just delicious.  And Lemony - Just right lemony, too.  

It was a busy day at church for me today because not only did I have the service to do, but I had already scheduled us to do snacks and could not find anyone to trade with.  So I called in some "Kitchen Angels" - friends who had previously offered to help - The theme for my service was Humility - so, I got a couple of Willamette Valley Frozen Pies at the store last week, (humble pie, get it)  but wanted to take something "lemony" so I decided to make Lemon Bars.  (I also took 2# of sliced cheese, a pound of sliced ham, a loaf of bread, a box of BIG wheat thins and some other little snack crackers AND, 1/2 dozen oranges cut up,  The only thing left was these two lemon bars and a little sack of orange slices.  It was a hungry bunch.) 

I used Emeril Lagasse's recipe for Super Lemony Lemon Squares, but made a few changes to suit my tastes.  I like the tang and flavor that lemon zest gives to lemon things, but hate the grainy texture that it gives them.  So I zested all my lemons with my microplane zester - I ended up with about 4 teaspoons -- and put the zest with about 3 tablespoons of water in a little pan and heated it up on the stove enough to release the lemon oils then I put that water & zest in with the lemon juice and strained the whole thing.  Since I was using my stoneware baking pan, I didn't chill the crust either - putting a cold stoneware pan into a hot oven is a recipe for disaster.  it still came out tasty and flaky so I think that is a step you could skip from the recipe. 

Sort of Emerel's Super Lemony Lemon Squares Ingredients

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks), plus 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups flour

2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt

4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice, strained
a pinch of salt

1/4 cup whole milk (i used cream, because that's what I had)

Directions
Lightly butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter and line with 1 sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Butter the top of this sheet of paper with 1 teaspoon of the remaining butter and then lay a second sheet of parchment or waxed paper crosswise over the first sheet. The parchment should be cut large enough so that the sides are even with the top of the baking dish; this extra paper will function as handles to help you remove the lemon squares from the pan later. Set pan aside. (I only used the bottom piece of parchment)

In a large bowl combine 1 3/4 cups of the flour, 2/3 cup of the confectioners' sugar, the cornstarch, and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and mix thoroughly. Cut the remaining 12 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Using your hands, 2 forks, or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer the butter-flour mixture to the prepared baking dish and press into an even 1/4-inch layer along the bottom and partly up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While the crust is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the crust until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.

While the crust is baking, assemble the filling by combining the eggs, granulated sugar, flour, and lemon zest in a medium bowl and whisking until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, milk, and pinch of salt and mix well.

When the crust is golden brown, remove it from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Stir the lemon mixture again, then pour onto the warm crust. Bake until the filling is set, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Grasp the waxed paper that lines the 2 longest sides of the baking dish and remove the bars from the pan by pulling up gently. The entire dessert should easily dislodge and come away from the pan. Transfer to a cutting board and, using a clean knife, cut into squares, wiping knife after each cut. Place a small amount of confectioners' sugar into a small sieve, and sprinkle the bars with the sugar. Serve immediately, or refrigerate, wrapped with plastic wrap, up to 2 days, until ready to serve.

The only "yellow" thing that was missing from my day was the sun - oh, well, it is spring in the Pacific NW.

Church breakfast

 Last weekend I helped with a fund-raiser breakfast that we had at church.  My part was to bring cinnamon rolls.

I used this recipe for "Sensational Overnight Cinnamon Rolls"

But I didn't make them "overnight", I just let them rise the second time and baked them on Saturday, and wrapped them in foil (once they had cooled) to keep them fresh and to keep marauding felines out of them.

And like the recipe suggests, I used my long, unused bread machine to mix and kneed them. It worked like a charm.(and I have promised my co-workers that I would make some for them someday soon)

And let me tell you, they WERE sensational!


And since it was St. Patrick's Day, I tinted the frosting green!

We had scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, fruit (oranges, pineapple and banana chopped & mixed) and fruit juice.  It was delish. 

Then we went upstairs and had our choir concert.

It was called "Long and Winding Roads" because all of the songs that The Shepherd, who also moonlights as "The Choir Director"  had references to "roads" in them.  He also brought one of his favorite J Jody Bergsma paintings to decorate the front of the church.

And this big bouquet of daffodils from our yard.

I read a blog yesterday where the kitty called daffodils "Sunshine on Stems" - I thought that was very appropriate.

We had a very fun day and there were four cinnamon rolls left over for snacks later.  Yum. 

An end of year Cookie Party

A couple of times a year I get together with a group of friends who all used to hang out at this little restaurant downtown.  When the restaurant closed, we missed each other - and used to get together more frequently - but now it's only in the summer at a local park, and at Christmas for a Cookie Party.  This year we were all busy before Christmas so we ended up getting together on the 30th.  It is always fun to catch up with people, and see what's happening in their lives. 

Maria always brings Nanimo Bars - these tasty bar cookies were actually "invented" just north of the border (ant they even have their own Wikipedia page- just click on the name to read the story of their interesting beginnings)  I have had some good ones and some not so good ones - (how can people use the same recipe and the same ingredients and. . . oh well -)  Maria's are some of the good ones.  I always look forward to her contribution to the party.
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I don't know who brought these yummy macaroons - there was also a very tart lemon tart and some delicious short bread cookies -

As I regularly do, I try to bring something savory to counter all the sweet - these are the same homemade cheese crackers that I took to a church function a couple of months ago - I got the recipe from a "Land of Lakes Butter" newsletter - whoa Nellie - there are some yummy recipes on their web site!! -

They are basically butter, cheese and flour - but depending on what kind of cheese you use and what herbs and spices you put in or on them, they really take on a life of their own - I roll them out and just cut into squares, and put the topping on before I put them on the baking sheet (Pampered Chef stoneware, of course)

Cheddar Shortbread Bites (from Land o'Lakes web site)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash ground red pepper ( I also added a little bit of Pampered Chef Southwestern Seasoning mix - it has some chili flakes, garlic, & other goodies. 

1 (8-ounce) package (2 cups) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese - (or you could always grate your own - use the fine holes on your box grater.) 

Topping

1 Egg white

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon poppy seed

1 tablespoon sesame seed

Combine flour, butter, salt and red pepper in medium bowl; beat at medium speed until dough forms. Add cheese; mix until a ball forms. Shape dough into circle; wrap in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. (It will be hard to roll at first, but will soften. Press together any cracks that form on edges of dough.) Cut dough with 1 1/2-inch cookie cutters or pizza cutter into desired shapes. Place onto ungreased baking sheets.

Beat egg white and water together in small bowl. Brush cut-outs with egg wash; sprinkle with seeds. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Immediately loosen from pan; let cool on pan.

The recipe says it makes 60, but I've never gotten that many - I also like mine to be about the size of a Triscuit or a  Big Wheat Thin.  I'm also going to see what happens if I don't chill the dough - it they will still be as flaky. 

Instead of putting the poppy seeds on the top, I tried putting them in the dough - I didn't like it as much.  You could use also any of the cheese flavors - I've used the four cheese Mexican blend for a milder cracker - I wouldn't use any of the soft cheeses, brie or feta and they wouldn't make the flaky texture that you need for this cracker. I'm going to try them with grated Parmesan the next time...sprinkle a little bit of Italian herbs over the top - yum... 

Anyhow - these disappeared almost as quickly as I set them down.  It really was a fun party and I'll look forward to seeing my friends again next summer! 

New Year's Day at Nancy's

For the last 6 or 7 years we have been going over to our friend Nancy's Farm for a New Year's Day party.  Always good food, good music and this year it was more of the same.  The musicians generally end up splitting into two groups - one in the "great room" - the old rock and rollers - and the folk/Balkan music people in the living room - This year I was in the great room with the old rock & rollers - Pretty good for a bunch of guys who only play together once a year. 

Nancy cooked up a big Costco Ham (it was yummy~) and I made "Auntie Magga's Potatoes" I forgot to take a picture, but take my word for it - these are the best scalloped potatoes you'll ever eat!

Scalloped Potatoes Supreme

(My friend's family renamed this "Auntie Magga's Potatoes because she always brought them to potlucks - they are really delish!)

2 lbs. hash brown potato cubes

1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. salt
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. finely chopped onions
2-3 cans cream of chicken soup or you could use part cream of mushroom too)
1 c. sour cream

Mix all together and place into 9" x 13" pan.  Bake @ 350 degrees for approx. 45 minutes. 

Topping if desired:
2 c. crushed corn flakes or potato chips
1/4 c. melted butter

Place under broiler until golden brown.

ENJOY!!

Oh, and here's some more music!